DALEK and others
I fully understand your concerns over DR nav but we have to remember that since helicopters arrived on the scene navaids are a relatively new piece of kit. I am sure that you and many others here flew SAR Whirlwinds around and off our coasts, lots more will have flown WX5s and 2s in the support role. The 5s particularily operating from ship to shore and ship to ship with no navaids whatsoever.(ADF excepted).We managed to find moving ships after launching from a moving ship in conditions of radar blackout,(Falklands springs to mind) and get back home again. This was not unusual and I do not recall anyone flying into the coast actually hitting it, or ditching through lack of fuel. Flying as though your navaids may fail and keeping up a good DR plot is wise. Perhaps we were a lot more nervous/careful than todays well equipped aviators. My point has always been that if this unfortunate crew had done their DR and worked in a fiddle factor on the pessimistic side, again wise, they may have slowed earlier and managed to see the coast in time to avoid it.
As always
