In "the good old days" this was done on a regular basis to give MRT members air experience. There was no specific permission needed so long as they were bona fide members of a team and we gave them a full brief on being winched, hover jumped etc. It was better to give them experience in a controlled way rather than in a blizzard while searching for a lost soul.
I suppose the comment "one of the top Sea King pilots in the country",
was a reference that he took TWO women on the trip which says something for the stamina of a 45yr old
HF