If an S61 from Ireland has been bought in to cover the night standby, then it must be obvious that the crews who have been flying the AW139 operationally since April consider it not to be safe for night flying.
It will be interesting to see how long the Irish S61 EI-CZN remains at Lee on Solent and indeed what the short term fix will be.
The operators of this aircraft in the SAR mode are not happy, including the Spanish.
Agusta Westland, be prepared for a complete pull out of ALL AW139 SAR aircraft, it really is
NOT FIT FOR SERVICE.
After a job on Saturday, the Coastguard seem to be turning a blind eye to whats happening with THEIR aircraft, and insist on typical "Spin"
Solent Coastguard Watch Manager said
In such incidents, speed is of the essence and our new Coastguard helicopter, an AgustaWestland AW139, can provide such a brisk response to these kinds of incidents. Were very grateful to the crew for providing such a rapid response to these sometimes life threatening situations.
The crews manning these aircraft really have had enough of been given the wrong tool to do a job that they love doing.
Will the powers that be take note, give the crews a break from trying their best to "Make It Work" before someone is killed.
Doc