Hiller.
Portland is not a daylight only operation!
They are on call from 0900 till 2100, 365 days per year. The aircraft is the same standard as all the other M.C.A. units ie. all weather, fullycoupled, Flir equipped, dual hoist etc.etc. There is no spare aircraft on site, the spare machine at Lee On Solent is used when required. This sad state of affairs came about after the Portland spare aircraft was lost after an in flight engine fire and emergency landing at Poole several years ago while on a job! The M.C.A. would not pay for a replacement, hence, now only one!
The reasons for not being 24hr. are lost in the sands of time but basically it is down to the fact that the R.N. only provided 12hr. cover so the M.C.A. in their wisdom decided to carry on that way. Oh... and they would not fund another 24hr.unit. Money again!
I think that when Portland was under threat of closure, Carl Taylor was not in position with the M.C.A. so I doubt if he would have any idea about it, or anything else come to that! And yes Portland is busy, once in fact, in the not too distant past, the busiest S.A.R. unit in the country after Lossie.
The arrival of the 139 is awaited, and awaited, and awaited. Does anyone have any information at all about this machine?