From the press release:
“By funding the transition to dual pilot Instrument Flight Rules, we will be setting a new standard in Australian aero-medical retrieval,
You mean: "following a previously set two pilot IFR retrieval operation established 11 years ago in 1995".
I believe we have a great system in Australian EMS with a SPIFR capable aircraft crewed by a SPIFR captain and a crewman trained to copilot standards to complement the winching/mission radio and nav management. Seems to be the best of both worlds. The challenge has always been establishing the training standards, competencies and CRM to make that happen, and each organisation will believe they have "the worlds best practice".
To my knowledge, only Hunter Rescue and CareFlight NSW send their crewman overseas to the simulator with the pilots as a true indication that they fully support this mix. And seabreeze, ....they are charities.
What EMQ are doing is not innovative, but it does up the competency levels required of crewmen these days, and more importantly to me, shows a real investment on the personnel of the industry which is to be loudly applauded. Congratulations and well done.
I am sure that the commercial companies will be hot on their heels wont they seabreeze?