XferSymbol - don't need to ask the OCU or Standards - I taught most of them.
Buoy 15 - I may not have 50 topcovers in my log book, but from my seat I have a better grasp of Nimrod SAR than a wetty, even a really old one. I agree that a Nimrod is useful at extreme range, but I have no recollection of a topcover SAR where the rescue WOULD not have happened if the Nimrod was not there. Although nice for the SAR crews to have a Nimrod there, when the fleet is struggling it is an inefficient use of the a/c, which is the reason that over the last year there has been a reduction in the number of topcover sorties flown, not because fihermen are being more careful.
The topic has diverged from the original thread so my rant is over.