La La et al,
My apologies I agree wholeheartedly that SAR is all about the guys down the back - however the argument I was responding to revolved around how there was going to be a drop in capability due to a change in aircraft - seeing as it is safe to assume that initally the majority of winchops and winchmen will be coming from the military and that their skills are not specific to a particular aircraft (dynamic risk assessment / paramedic skills / winch skills and a plethora of others ...) - I assumed that the drop in capability you were refering to (and specifically local area knowledge), related to of pilots adapting to the new aircraft - hence my point.
My post was not clear in this regard and apologies for any dispersion cast at the guys down the back.
Humbly yours,
JB
PS. La La with regard to you comment re drop in capability - what complete guff!