SAR
From talking with the lads at SARTU, my understanding is that AEOps can indeed go either winch op or winchman. I believe they do the long course at SARTU after which they are selected for one of the two specialisations. I stand to be corrected by any SARboys on this strand.
I will withold my comments about WAF's !! That is a rare treat a man must discover on his own journey !!