3D cam and Dillonthe dog - the person you suspect to be crabette is most definitely not so casting aspersions about her is worse than posting with incomplete information as you may damage the reputation of an innocent party.
Jknife - why do you think the MOD is giving up SAR - everything I am told by those in the know is most definitely the opposite to this position? So if SAR is civilianised and the MCA don't do overland SAR (not strictly true) who will rescue people in the mountains at night? Not the police I bet. Sounds like a reduction in capability to me that directly affects the punters mentioned by Arctic Warrior.
3Dcam - as to accepting an aircraft without sufficient trials see the Merlin for details - or even the Apache. Both were promised to deliver great new capability but both have cost lots more than they should and still don't deliver the capability they promised.
Wait and see if the contract under CHC really is the same as Bristow - I don't believe so, thanks to the involvement of the MoD the service provided will be superior whoever crews it.
The bottom line is that however much you bitch about the amount of hours we get to fly and how much we seem to cost compared to CG, the capability we are required to provide is greater - all weather, day or night, overland or sea, 1st and 2nd standby- that is not arrogance or boasting, just a statement of fact.