He's an aircrew officer for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in Tamworth, and responds to emergencies across the northern part of the state.

But, amid dramatic rescues and retrievals and transfers, he's also been in the cockpit during some "exciting" flights, and has seen some of the state's most rugged and remote scenery.

He said a memorable job had been when he was tasked to rescue a man with a broken ankle from deep in the gorge at Dangar Falls, near Armidale.

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"I remember it was a huge winch, about 170-180 foot winch, and it was in a big canyon, there were these big rocks either side of the chopper blades and it was really scenic but really intimidating with these big rock cliffs, and you're right down in the canyon," Mr Maher told the Leader.

"They're more the fun jobs and you get back and think that was pretty exciting."

Mr Maher started within a month of pilot Stuart O'Mally, and the pair has been a team for the past decade.

"We've seen just about all of the state now, haven't we Stu?" Mr Maher said.

"Everything that ends in 'bone' like Gulargambone, Girilambone, we've seen them all."

The aircrew officer said a job that stuck with him was an event that garnered national attention.

"I was actually at the job where I picked up the copper who Malcolm Naden shot, I picked him up over Nowendoc," Mr Maher said.

IN A 12-hour shift at the Tamworth rescue helicopter base, Sean Maher never knows where he might go, or what he might see.

The aircrew officer has worked for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service for a decade, alongside pilot Stuart O'Mally.

There is usually a bit of a "waiting game" between urgent rescues, giving the team time to do extra training and keep the chopper in tip-top condition.

"At any time ... we could get a job, and it will be drop everything and head out the door, no matter what stage we're at, as long as the aircraft is serviceable and ready to go, we go," Mr Maher said.

The chopper can be in the air within about seven minutes.

After months of strict coronavirus rules, the Leader took an exclusive look behind the scenes to see how things go down at Tamworth's Westpac Rescue Helicopter base.

The day usually starts the same - a shift change at 8am, a briefing with the team, a "ground run" to check the engines, training, a coffee.

But, when the phone rings, any order could come down the line from the region's command centre.

"They give us some details ... they ask if we can get there, we have a quick look at the weather and off we go," Mr Maher said.

"The doctor and paramedic ... get their helmets and harnesses and life-jackets on and [Stuart] and I will rush out here, we'll get the chopper out and get our gear and fuel up if we need it, and chug off in the general direction."

The crew have all kinds of flash equipment to guide them, and even wear night vision goggles for rescues in the dark.

"We never know what's going to happen day to day, we could end up in Brisbane or Bourke ... or you could be in Sydney," Mr Maher said.

The pilot and aircrew officer are joined by a paramedic and a doctor, on all tasks from rescues to patient transfers.

"The team is really cohesive, and the whole leadership is very dynamic," Mr Maher said.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed some things at the base, but health had always been a priority.

"There was a lot more precautionary PPE measures put into place and we've had to be very careful on a lot of jobs," Mr Maher said.

"The service is so important to everyone and we cannot have this service going down for everyone who needs it."

He joked he was "on a diet" for all the choccies they get delivered to the base, but said he was thankful and loved hearing from patients who had recovered.

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