Jackjack: Of course - anyone can train winch, 3005(h) allows it and thats why external agencies like atlas advertise their courses.
All you have to be able to show in your AOC is that you can comply with the JAR reference.
If your stripped 135/902 can hover on one engine - go for it and good luck.
I challenge ANY UK police 135 to be able to meet the perf specs and would hedge my bet that even the air ambulance light twins couldn't do it either?
By the way, it's not up to the CAA to agree ones "business case", they simply regulate the arrangement you have in place. If you comply - gold star, if you don't they tell you to remove it from your OM.
Following on from this main theme about whether one can winch or not, surely what is the point of a light twin winching anyway - how many people can they fit inside? They'd spend half their lives transitting to and from the incident dropping pax off and having to return for the rest. Great "first responder" a/c but not a proper SAR a/c by a long way.
I would suggest the smallest purpose built SAR cab available today is the AW139. Which we shall see operating off the shores of the UK within months. 3 on the south coast and 2 possibly 3 others further north, very near where I live.
