A clip of a helicopter landing has gone viral following an incredibly precise landing. In the video, first posted by the YouTube channel Rescue -Helispotter Pipo St.Gallen Switzerland, a red Rega rescue helicopter lands on the roof of the St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital in Switzerland, but it’s not just any helicopter landing. The speed and angle the pilot takes are what make the video impressive, with the pilot neatly drifting into the landing rather than the usual slow turn pilots make from further out.

Rega helicopters are on standby at 14 locations in Switzerland, including its towns and mountains. The rescue helicopter in the viral clip is an AgustaWestland Da Vinci, used on all of Rega’s mountain bases due to its aerodynamics and power. What allows the Da Vinci helicopter to land so precisely, like in the video, even on mountains? It has landing gear rather than skids. It can land just about anywhere, perfect for mountain rescues or racing to hospital landing pads. 

The Da Vinci helicopter has four main rotor blades and two tail rotor blades. These tail rotor blades counteract the rotational torque of the main blades, keeping the helicopter stable and providing the pilot with more pitch control. The Da Vinci’s dual duplex four-axis digital Automatic Flight Control System offers incredible stability by adjusting all its rotor blades simultaneously. A four-axis system also handles the vertical motion during climbs and descents, allowing control during hovering and any significant altitude changes.

The autopilot system has altitude hold, which reduces the vibration

The autopilot also has various modes for approach, making the descent a lot smoother. Approach to hover allows the pilot to predict the final hover point and adjust the descent slope as needed. All of this is very important since the Da Vinci is designed specifically for critical tasks such as emergency medical services and search and rescue. Rega’s other helicopter, the Airbus H145, is additionally used by law enforcement and for military rescue missions.

It’s unclear what prompted this particular viral landing, but it wouldn’t be shocking if the pilot was rushing a person from the Swiss Alps to the hospital’s ER. That’s not an uncommon occurrence: According to Swiss Alpine Club data (via Swissinfo), nearly 4,000 people had to be rescued from the Alps in 2025, primarily due to falls and getting lost.

These mountain rescues are performed by helicopters like the Da Vinci, as they are well-suited to the requirements of high-altitude flights. Think about it: The helicopter crew must search for the rescue location, with mountainous terrain possibly requiring the pilot to land on cramped or uneven surfaces. If the pilot can’t land the helicopter, they must have a chopper that will hover steadily as the rescue specialist descends, so they can hitch the injured hiker and lift them back up. None of this would be possible with airplanes, of course — and maybe not with a more conventional helicopter, either.