Originally Posted by
NRDK
HELONORTH
Of course Crab has. All SAR pilots have and they have the most demanding pressure of all aviators to get airborne. Decisions never come easy. The difference being this is as a highly trained team of 4 crew. You get what you pay for, equipment, crew training and logistical support...
Sadly, cheap options are going to be spread out across the ground for years to come as a result.
Okay, change the minimums and require IFR aircraft and two pilots. Since that's never going to happen, why even bring it up. A flight like this is done hundreds of times a day. It should be no different that flying some tourists around the Grand Canyon (oh yeah, they crash, too). If you can do the flight safely, do it. If you can't, don't go. If you do go and it goes south, turn around or land. It's really no different than any other VFR operation and I think the accident rates, across all segments, back me up.