They are hiring NOW to fill their SAR slots, putting guys on the oil and gas run, to get the hours up. They are recruiting like crazy.
Having a few hundred hours on type flying to oil rigs hardly makes a qualified pilot a SAR captain.
Check with Bristows. The RAF guys will almost certainly not see a SAR seat unless they are prepared to work for years as a low paid co
This would be crazy. Why would they ignore the years of experience someone has built up as a SAR captain when it's absolutely essential for Bristow to prove to doubters that they can adequately replace military SAR?