Not in complete agreement with
SS (from an editing, number of posts, point of view) as there are a few issues that could be dealt with in one edition, since I last read this thread. In a particular, linked, order therefore:
1.
Spare capacity = flexibility. 100kgs (in a 135) either means one pax (but not 20 St) OR 30 mins fuel. Either can be loaded quickly - but de-fuelling in any sensible timescale is not an option.
2.
Fuel load is the easiest to adjust, but often needs to take into account the weight of subsequent shift crew, with or without planned pax, and therefore needs a little planning. As SS intimates, saying “No” to the pax comes higher up the list than saying no to fuel.
[And some posters need to get their heads round the different aircraft types/weights quoted, rather than criticise the professionals who have posted correctly and relevant to their type experience]
3.
20 stone Pilots or Obs make a mockery of flexibility. Some (pre-NPAS) units had weight limits to enhance operational flexibility, but I understand this may appear too difficult for NPAS HR to get their heads round.
4.
NPAS needs visitors to ASUs to spread the message. Flying visitors (specifically Police employees, including PCSOs) is an essential part of “selling the message” about Air Support. It’s even more important under NPAS, since there will be more occasions where “the aircraft’s not available”, due to one thing or another (but normally being miles away in the service of another county), which is the general impression the ground officers have of helicopter availability. Unless they actually see what the job entails, they won’t understand the pressures on the aircraft. Yes, some posters who don’t work in the business may see it as a “Jolly” but it makes little difference to endurance, unless your aircraft is less capable than it should be . . . which leads on to -
5.
Standardising aircraft types/specs makes complete sense in the 135 fleet, especially with everybody flying further under NPAS. This is not to say they’re discounting the 902 fleet, just that they’re dealing with the most prolific model in the fleet first. Whilst the most recent multi-purchase were all P2+, it would seem sensible, in the light of the above discussion, to at least ensure all 135s were able to maximise their endurance by upgrading to 2910kgs. That way, the only payload variables would be the removable equipment (varies by unit, but not drastically so), fuel and weight of crew/pax . . . discussed before!
6.
Police equipment & upgrades are obviously important as well, and especially for those older aircraft that rely on 8-10 year old sensors etc, and it would be much better to have a similar standardisation for the older airframes, as has been afforded to the P2+ bulk-buy. It all makes things a lot easier when swapping airframes around and sorting out efficient Police mapping is an essential start IMHO.
7. Before there’s any miss-reading of para 5, I am not suggesting the demise of types other than the 135, just enhancing the 135 fleet, as mentioned by PAN.
Dolphin 101 