Tees: nail on the head...excellent posting, if I might say so. The bottom line is that the insurance lawyers have got their teeth into this making it an absolute minefield....
You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't...
It remains to be said, that the commander gets it squared away in his head, gets his employer on board too and has a quiet word with his flight ops inspector, so that they are singing from the same hymn sheet
Q Max: I think you'll find that when I was in the mil, a little word called "attrition rate" and a statement at the front of JSP 318 saying "overide the rules provided you act in the exigencies of the service"...had a lot to do with how I operated within my SAR role.
This culture does not exist in civvy street...thankfully. There are rules, don't break them, because big brother is no longer there to protect you. For once, you have to take on your own responsibilities. Why do you think more and more pilots are taking out third party insurance?
You have to think about yourself standing in that box staring at experts from the CAA / insurance / AAIB / Barristers, and be able to fend off their questions, any one of which could sink you without trace!
Do you HONESTLY know the rules. inside out, or do you really think that by making front page news as a hero, you'll be let off because you're a goodie?
You mentioned, the Sikorsky crew...I did make it quite clear that SAR crews were exempt from my deliberations.
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