After the March 11 quake and tsunami ravaged ports, railways, roads and bridges all along the Tohoku coast, leaving thousands of people stranded in isolated areas without water or electricity, the only way vital supplies could reach them at first was by flying them in.
To help the survivors, a group of private helicopter pilots and owners participated in relief efforts for about a month from March 23, delivering food, water, medicines and other necessities to stricken coastal towns in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures.
From late April, they shifted their focus to transporting doctors and nurses to the stricken areas, helping survivors get faster medical treatment.