On a neutral note, the Air Ambulance and the RNLI are both successful civilian, albeit charitable, organisation where a can do attitude prevails.
With the proper contract there is no reason why a civilian SAR organisation could not operate with the same effectiveness as military SAR.
The recent RNoAF cliff rescue was carried out by the crew not withstanding directives that that particular type of rescue was too dangerous. The final decison will always rest with the captain of the aircraft.
Last edited by Wader2; 15th May 2007 at 12:57.