This is the first time that the whole of UK SAR has transitioned to the civilian sector. If these clever people you talk of are relying solely on previous experience without considering the new environment that they find themselves in then then maybe they aren't so clever (my guess, however, is that they have). You can't assume that what has worked for the last 20 years will work in this case.
In a 'normal' case, I wouldn't be bothered about the requirement to spend a few months hour building to a rig. The problem now is that the transition for all bases occurs so quickly that maybe this a luxury that can't be afforded. It might be that a full programme, including hour building, has been designed that works. My concern would be whether the Military can release pilots at a time that is expected by Bristow.
As it happens, I think that the future Bristow SAR service will be excellent, but if this thread is representative of the attitudes of the military to the civilians and vice versa, I wouldn't want to be in the crewroom at the beginning!!