Thud
Nice pic and it would be nice if UK emergency service aviation paid better! My "spiritual home", as you say.
I've done Crab's job and I've done Flaxton's job and I understand the problems. It's true that when you are the dedicated SAR bunch you feel that no-one can come near your high standards and it is also true that RAF SAR are the best trained and equipped for the job. However, the point has been made that there may be significant delay in them attending onshore jobs. Equip the AA with a winch and there will be situations where they could get on with the job without having to tie up a significantly larger heli. I can remember just such a situation back when I was with AA. Car down an embankment through some trees. Long walk and scramble to the location, nowhere to land close by but space to winch and pop a paramedic down and winch up again if needs be. An easy place for a winch op to talk the pilot to. We had to wait for our mates from Leconfield SAR to bring their Seaking.
At Yorks AA we perceived a need for delivery of equipment underslung. I set about training the paramedics on basic talkdown "patter" for positioning and picking up loads. They quickly grasped it. The cost of the extra training flights was approved by the charity as there was an obvious benefit to the operation. The paramedics would, I'm sure, make excellent winch ops for straightforward overland operations.
I understand the concern about attempting rescues which may be beyond their basic capabilities but the pilots involved in AA are not mugs and they know when to say "No". And as far as I remember, paramedics are an intelligent bunch who put flight safety first. If any member of my crew was unhappy with a situation, we would pull off. No questions.
I wish Flaxton and his crew all the best with their new skills.
