Actually - I don't think at any point I have questioned the professionalism or capability of the engineers - I know how hard they work and how the multi skilling and self supervision reduces manpower. You chaps are far too quick to take offence. One of the engineers left Chiv to work at Lee a few years ago and I know him to be a top lad - he said it was definitely different, not better or worse, just different.
The main thrust of this and many other SAR threads is that civvy SAR is cheaper and therefore better - my main contention with this assertion is that a comparison cannot be made because the playing field is not level - especially when it comes to engineering practices.
Yes your engineering effort is driven by finances, ours is driven by perceived best engineering practice - yours is audited by the CAA and is completely legal and above board, ours is mandated by MoD and probably includes a deal of overservicing. They are different - you think ours is too much and I think yours is barely enough, it has to be in a business run for profit. Is there an ideal middle ground? Probably and maybe AW will work towards it once all the political intervention stops. As I said, our depth maintainance is in bits thanks to the decision to use DARA instead of keeping St Mawgan open. You guys don't have to put up with sh*t like that.
However, some of you seem happy to denigrate AW's operation without knowing anything about it - glass houses etc.....
Many have thrown stones at the perceived excesses of military manpower on SAR conveniently forgetting that we have to work the way of the rest of MoD.
I touted for an invite to Lee or Portland last year and was deafened by the silence 'not my position to make that offer' or 'ask the MCA to invite you'.
3D - aren't you transferring to First Reserve (sorry CHC) then? Didn't make the grade for the 139 course?
PS no-one answered the question about 12/24 hr shifts.