So then Sat,
In response:
How are you poorly manned?
Pages 48 and 49 of this discussion make reference to a manning problem that is developing.
I've read these pages and I still don't see. How on earth is that safe? manning is very frequently the last thing that comes together. BHL don;t need to have the crews now, they need them for contract start. Plus it is easy to argue the mil was undermanned, the UK Mil SAR used to work 24 hour shifts for example. Doing away with that is (IMHO) a good thing. I personally feel that working a 24 hour shift, even when given a fluffy bed and pillow for down time was a bad idea.
Why is the 189 a poor ac?
As far as SAR goes, it isn't even an aircraft yet!
True but it does exist, it's payload etc are well known now as is the role equipment which is tried and tested on other ac. any reason or insight you have as to why you expect it not to work when DoT, BHL and AW think it will would be appreciated.
Name some of the luxury vs necessities you are losing out on in this transition?
You've missed the point - hugely.
No I haven't. Aircrew rations were a great example of a total luxury. Seeing as you cannot name a single one of them, I will say there are none or you are too embarrassed to confess what they are.
If you don't like capitalism, I'm sure UT Air are recruiting in Moscow.
I don't think they're communists anymore.
True, but they are closer perhaps to the utopian state controlled ideal than BHL.
Seriously clutching at straws to say a properly trained pilot can't maintain a hover by looking through a bit of plastic.
A pilot who is taking just a one eighth share of 50 training hours per month per unit will hardly be able to conduct sufficient quality continuation training to meet such challenges.
Also, I'm worried about the people who think that some of these techniques are not a combination of techniques: someone mentioned decks and downwind decks as separate skills, they are not. People are taught downwind work very early in flying. You are simply overlaying existing knowledge and techniques with others to produce an end result (downwind + decks). Is it easy - no. Does it require 25 hours per pilot per month - no. If it does, we need new pilots.