Remarkably TOD I still stand by my statement. Sorry you have missed me but I do not rush home everyday to breathlessly log onto the SAR thread to read yours and others words in awe and admiration.
Scrabble around in thick fog as much as you like to prove whatever you think you have to prove (the usual 'saving lives' BS no doubt). That is your choice. My choice is not to do that and my crew and family are very happy about that too. Perhaps I am alone in my opinion. So be it, I can live with that and your scorn.
In relation to Crab I am certainly not alone in my opinion. His condescending views on civil SAR and his blatant self-promotion will always be his downfall. I may be out of date with the latest SAR technology and techniques as my last SAR flight in an S61N (FLIR, autohover etc) was 8 years ago but I somehow survived 15 years SAR/EMS as PIC in various parts of the world so I am entitled to an opinion.
My self-preservation instincts apparently paid off as I now fly a nice modern helicopter in a very pleasant part of the world with no night-standby duties, earning an enormous tax-free salary. I knew a few collegues who did not share my views on flying in conditions well-below sensible limits who are no longer with us. One of them decided that he would push his luck one night and not only killed himself but also his crew and the young mother and child who was being 'saved' by our hero. He killed them all but the fog didn't help. After the fog cleared the next day I was one of the first on the scene. Not something I will forget in a hurry.
I may look back in here in a week or for my own amusement (but don't hold your breath) so feel free the pour on a few more buckloads of scorn. I wish you well in your own mission to save lives in those dark, satanic and frequently foggy hills.
Last edited by Epiphany; 3rd Apr 2012 at 11:31.