For a few years I flew SAR helicopters and for offshore stuff worked alongside fixed wing aircraft. Because of our relatively short endurance and their faster cruise speed, for more distant jobs they would take off first and do the searching. That often enabled us to be directed direct to the scene and pick up survivors, or recover what we could without wasting scarce fuel searching the area.
One of the senior fixed wing pilots was a very experienced, but through and through fixed wing, ex-RAF A1 QFI (RAF pilots know what that meant).
He once said to me how much he respected what we did. He said that in basic terms, aeroplane pilots go from A to B, then job done. Helicopter pilots go from A to B just to begin the difficult part of the job. I’d never thought of it in those terms before, but I think he’s right.