PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Winches on Police/Airambulance helis?
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Old 11th Jan 2007, 08:46
  #63 (permalink)  
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Care Bear - no, any pilot can do winching providing he has been adequately trained and keeps current but that is the problem. Of the many ex mil pilots especially AAC, few will have done any winching and many will have only done basic stuff. We are forgetting that a pilots winching ability is only as good as the winch ops performance will allow and it is these guys who need the training and constant practice - how many ex mil loadies or winchmen are there in AA/ police helis? Not very many at all.

Minself - as others have highlighted you have some disinformation (Pres Bushism) ref the SARH contract. The main reason mil pilots are likely to remain in SAR is that is has been stated that there will be no reduction in capability and under present rules (and yes these could change) only mil pilots can operate the way we do.

The NHS do fund some hospital transfers - a fixed wing twin is used often but certain types of transfer - ECMO (extra corporeal membraneous oxygenation) for example cannot fly in it because of CAA regs and the AA are too small to carry the team and patient. The NHS do pay the MoD for medevacs and have to justify their reasons for calling on us. These jobs still don't need a fully equipped SAR aircraft though.
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