Oh gee, here we go again.
Malabo, you're completely wrong both in your stats and assumption about CHC. Crab is closer, though, as usual, an implication creeps in that doesn't need to be there. The oil rig crew change-over in the Falklands is based on a once every 2 weeks charter flight. Hence, as many ducks as possible need to be in a row in that period. The oil company were not willing to accept even the small chance that no RAF SAR would ground the crew change flights, so they paid for a very limited SAR service to support the passenger Super Puma. It's day VMC, open water only because that's all that's needed and has been paid for. VMC works 95% of the time because of the limited approach facilities in the Falklands that limit IFR passenger flights, day and overwater are obvious.
The CHC limited offshore oil SAR service has absolutely nothing to do with the overall SAR cover for the Islands. That is provided by the RAF and the RAF only. Night medevacs or training trips to the rig are only launched if RAF cover is available - which it usually is.
Oh, "only one pilot who has actually done SAR" is, of course, Crab's code for "only one ex-RAF Sea King pilot". The rest don't count, I suppose
