We used to have an excellent way of representing the RAF (and the RN) in the military SAR Force but this was moved out of the military and into commercial aviation.
Most people recognised either the yellow RAF aircraft or the grey RN ones and knew that the crews were military and spent 98% of their time rescuing civilians from life and health threatening situations, some very high profile.
We were sacrificed on the altar of Defence spending cuts because we weren't a 'core-military capability' despite a constant presence in the Falklands and providing our paramedic winchmen to MERT crews in Afghanistan.
Now the commercial operator is running out of rearcrew because they can't poach them from the military, where they used to be excellently trained.
A short sighted vision of the RAF/RN future by ambitious senior officers - if they had defended the SAR Force even half as much as the Reds, military crews would still be training and delivering top drawer SAR.
Those military crews who moved to the contractor have ensured the high standards remained but it would have been so much better to have kept those skills and personnel in house.
Without wanting to digress from the main topic but what airframe could we have replaced the venerable SK in SAR service and if the military had fought to keep SAr? I have followed your excellent posts with interests on the UK sar thread, as well as commenting, myself. Very limited options out there lest rhe RAf and FAA bought couple of dozen S-92 up to H-92 Superhawk mil standards and hip hip hooray...or bought into H225M?
Back on topic this is a very difficult and delicate situation and i do not envy those in the team be it new pilots or ground crew selected, I do not envy those who have not been in the accusation crosshairs either., the scandal and then there is the technical side - of whats after the Hawk T1?
However lets look at past display teams personnel who have ended up in hot water legally wise in the past
- AAC Blue Eagles pilot (one of the 90s teams) i believe was stripped of everything and prosecuted for some crimes of a sexual nature so i heard..
- former Chinook display pilot recently has been done for sexual assault of another female officer.....the anti mil brigade, couple with the media will start painting the RAF in a very bad light....
I am all for due process, careful investigation and innocent till proven guilty but look at society as it is, be it woke, PC or what not....in their eyes (and I am quoting from the excellent Joss Wheddon series The Dollhouse here) "That all men are guilty proven dead" pretty much isn't it?
Taking into account, that the Reds displays bring value not just from joe public for support and recruiting tool, I have to admit when the RoKAF Black Eagles (on their first ever Uk visit) turned up at Waddo Air Show 2012, they kind of beat the Reds at their display was something a lot of peeps said after the show. I was very impressed, with their black and yellow T-50, Looking at the global pictures what will be the Patrouille de France's next mount after Alpha Jet, the Frecce Tricoleri have the MB345 to replace their MB339 and the spanish Patrula Aguila probably get the Pilatus Pc-21 replacing their C-101 Aviojet.
btw is anyone watched the documentary earlier tonight on sky?
Cheers