Bearing in mind that it's a media article, and they have been known to get it slightly wrong in the past
Whilst the headline & the first line imply he jumped from the aircraft, the later narrative states :
"
Taylor handed the controls to Lt (JG) Strickland, and was then lowered into the sea. "
I suspect that any pilot who's made command of a Coastguard Dauphin would be rational enough to have discussed the options available with his crew, and taken this as the best and most expeditious. Maybe he was/is the strongest swimmer? Only an aircraft mechanic and a Coastguardman in the back? For one or both of them to have operated the winch, with associated patter, and for the co pilot to have flown whilst the PIC acted as rescue swimmer
It strikes me they deserve a bit more than the unwarranted cynicism floating around here.
BZ, and I look forward to a more balanced report and assessment from the armchair critics.
