The difference is that a first tourist winchman or winch op will have completed at least 3 months at SARTU and then another 9 months on the OCU before completing squadron acceptance and then going on shift.
Additionally, our percentage of 1st tourists is about 10 per cent of the front line since the OCU only puts out a maximum of 2 courses per year. Many of our recent 1st tourists are ex SH with lots of helicopter experience. The DfT matrix doesn't specify any previous helicopter experience requirements for the winch ops or winchmen.
The training allowance is to be 50 hours per month for the whole flight - we would give 30 to 40 hours just to the new boy out of the 120 hours per month we are allocated.
Someone in DfT doesn't understand how important the co-pilot is on a SAROP if they are willing to accept no twin time and no SAR time - that is ridiculous.
The best option is still to take the experienced mil crews and give them a type rating.
NRDK - sometimes the only option is an NVG hover - no matter how good your lights are (and ours are pretty good) - it is sweeping statements like yours that show lack of understanding of modern night SAROps. If you saw the tight valley, surrounded by big wires that they had to operate in you might think better of dismissing NVG as a 'good transit aid'.
And btw it was an LCR radop on that job.