Originally Posted by
cyclic
Who is joining at the bottom of civ SAR? ... ...
Like you, I am concerned about the future talent pool. What is evident is that there are some great SAR pilots working in this service who have never served in the military. Some of the best training sorties and ops we have done have been with these guys. So civil pilots can do the job and there will still be military pilots, some with some SAR experience, going into SAR after mil service. What currently concerns me most is the situation for the development of 'SAR Technical Crew'. For the long term security of that skill set I believe that the CAA should take the bold and world-leading step of making it a licensed aviation trade. Yes, more f33kin paperwork, but also major benefits.