Crab.....I have completed a few HEMS missions......almost 3,500 of them. Certainly enough to have experienced most of what the weather can upchuck at you. As I posted earlier, I have made a similar mistake....but I see it only as that. A mistake and learned from it!
there are rules and there are limits. For CIVSAR I bow to CRABS greater knowledge but the principles remain the same. Certainly in HEMS we should strive to apply them. My Ambulance Ops Director once told me not to take any risks with his crews. I was impressed by his guidance and told him so. He replied that he had given me the same speech that he gave all his Ambulance drivers on qualification. He saw the helicopter as just another ambulance and he was right.
PACO the answer is “you don’t know” However, after you have exploited your HEMS alleviation’s to the maximum, almost taken a car bonnet through the disc and risked everything......only to discover a broken ankle to some such other minor scrape.....you learn to deploy your greater judgement! As you don’t seem to understand this I am guessing you have dipped your toe in HEMS and not really served your time. For the rest of us we deploy ourselves professionally and within our alleviation’s. And I want to be clear.....the HEMS rules provide more than enough scope to get into trouble. Performance alleviation’s, no safe forced landing AND flight in reduced weather. Only a start staring fool would elect to apply his own personal lower limits. As such Paco, I have to say you preach utter bollocks that has no place in modern HEMS operations if longevity interests you at all.