Engineering
Crab
Your statement that engineering at Valley was not that clever is a model of understatement!!! No comp washes for months? If a failure of one of the poor state engines had led to a loss of life would that have been corporate manslaughter?
I am not sure I would support your view that SAR engineering requires a special ethos. In fact there are many commercial organisations that operate aircraft all round the world in all climates on a 24/7 basis. They in many cases have excellent engineering organisations that support them very effectivley in this regard. They are not hinbound by union rules.
I do agree with you that it will all rely on good management though. That however does not require it to be military.
I have been in the military and I am now in a union. Some good things from both sides and some bad things from both sides.