SAR Merlins?

[bighead]

With the current problems with the ever ageing Sea King fleet, why don't RAF Merlins cover SAR when they are in the UK as they do very little else?:confused:

[Green Flash]

as they do very little else?


:hmm:






Give me strength .....

Oh Borroks - that was a fishing trip and I struck.
Note to self - P1ll0ck

[A and C]

As an interested observer of the RAF I find the "little else" statement so far of the mark as to be pure rubbish.

I see guys that I know trying to do two or even three peoples jobs and the pressure is starting to show, guys who four years back wanted to stay in the RAF long term are now looking to get out ASAP and as they leave the pressure just increases on those left in the service.

The whole RAF front line is under staff, under funded and criticly overworked, I suppose apart fron that they might have very little else to do.

[Green Flash]

1.4G
Yeh, sorry. And let that be a lesson to you young 'uns! I can't believe i bit. Must me losing my edge.

[Green Flash]

Ah well, even us old f@rtz have to live and learn I suppose. Mac, A&C, do you concur?

Call sign Bighead is duly noted for future reference.

Oh look! There is an ignore function in PPrune. Joy! Thanks Danny.

[spheroid]

What about the RN Merlin.....what do they do? The RN has 44 of them but only a handful at sea. So they could easily be used to replace the RN Seakings.

[engineer(retard)]

Coming from Grismby, Bighead probably smells of fish anyway.

[Dan D'air]

The RN has 44 of them but only a handful at sea

They very nearly had one at sea in Turkey last week.....................

[spectre150]

Are you suggesting that they 'cover SAR' from Benson (I don't know what the range of the Merlin is but I suspect it might be an issue) or do you propose to detach the helicopters, crews, groundcrews and support personnel to the SAR flilghts around the UK? I am sure the people won't mind because it would relieve the boredom of having nothing to do when they are not away on ops. Presumably anyone can do SAR and no additional training would be required. I thought we were short of support helicopters - a lot of people seem to be saying we need more and need them yesterday - presumably this is not actually the case if they are sitting idle in the UK doing nothing.

The last girl I met from Grimsby actually didnt smell of fish - how bizarre.

[Spacer]

Bighead.... don't I know you from somewhere??!!

[Liobian]

I seem to recall hearing that the Merlin was not ideal for the SAR role as its downwash was liable to blow away any dinghy underneath !
Anyone able to confirm or deny that ?

[bondo]

"Are you suggesting that they 'cover SAR' from Benson (I don't know what the range of the Merlin is but I suspect it might be an issue) or do you propose to detach the helicopters, crews, groundcrews and support personnel to the SAR flilghts around the UK? I am sure the people won't mind because it would relieve the boredom of having nothing to do when they are not away on ops. Presumably anyone can do SAR and no additional training would be required. I thought we were short of support helicopters - a lot of people seem to be saying we need more and need them yesterday - presumably this is not actually the case if they are sitting idle in the UK doing nothing."

You would also have to paint them yellow.

[MAINJAFAD]

Presumably anyone can do SAR and no additional training would be required

Humm, that's why the RAF has the Search and Rescue Training Unit (http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafvalley/aboutus/sartu.cfm), who do a basic course for everybody and an advanced course for the people who do it full time (i.e. Sea King crews). Plus the Sea king Crew's, when not actually flying real rescue ops, practice doing it with volunteers (done it myself), and if there is a call, stop the practice, and do the real thing.

[TheWizard]

With the current problems with the ever ageing Sea King fleet, why don't RAF Merlins cover SAR when they are in the UK as they do very little else?:confused:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a355/merlinmagic28/fisherman_boat.gif

7/10 for effort, but must try harder!!http://forums.airshows.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smilielol.gif

[Compressorstall]

I'm sure that the RAF Merlins crews would relish the chance to sit idle for a bit. The ones I know are always busy going to Iraq, being in Iraq or coming back from Iraq. Fishing is such a boring sport.

[Winch-control]

Downwash? can be worked around; crews available? Nope! Training? Yep the guys can be trained for it...takes a bit of time though...
Did I bite? err yep

[bgla55]

With the civilian counter parts looking at taking on contracts in 2012 there would be no point in spending all the money out. its not a case of go do that your sat around doing nothing. logistics, engineering, re-roling, airframe modifications due to (government know alls/ cost cutters not listening to crews advice on what an aircraft should have), crewing difficulties, merlin SH crews spend enough time away from there families, even when they are uk based they are detached on excercises out in the field. Give the boys some rest please.

BG

[spectre150]

bgla55 - I think you can relax, it was a wind up (fishing trip).

[Occasional Aviator]

Yes... although it has always struck me that the RN bought 44 Merlins Mk1 so that they could maintain a cold-war sized front-line fleet during the mid-life upgrade to Mk2. Now that isn't happening, and defence policy doesn't see as big a submarine threat (I'm not defending it, I'm just saying), then conceivably there is at least a SAR-force sized fleet of Mk1s sitting around. That would get us over having to buy airframes - although depending on who you get to quote for the "conversion" you will get some quite different answers. In any case, it would involve one Capability Manager giving some of his toys to another....