P3 - I want the new SAR service to be a success for many reasons, not least because it is what the British public deserves and I have a lot of good mates who will be operating in it.
However, rather than believing every bit of spin,
PR and glossy sales-brochures, I prefer to remain cynical in the hope I will be proved wrong and that some of the shady practices that were the reality of commercial SAR many years ago are consigned to history.
Don't forget how the 139 was introduced to SAR service with trumpet fanfares by the MCA whilst the reality was that it had next to no night overwater capability because the lighting was poor and the SAR modes of the AFCS hadn't been certified.
I hope the decision not to employ me wasn't just pettiness or spite - that would not be the hallmark of a professional organisation and would rather confirm some of my worries about how things might be run in the future.
If the ethos is that you should keep quiet when you know things aren't right - how does that set the stage for honest and open reporting and any form of credible Safety Management System?
The question is - how long will it take the new SAR service to get to its steady state with mature SOPs and all the right people in the right place? On the roadshows the senior people were talking about 5 years so what will it be like on day 1 when it is supposed to be at least equivalent to that which it replaces?
It was always going to be a big challenge and, as I said before, I hope it works but I'm not going to stop taking the reality pills just because other people have vested interests.