Crab,
You may turn out to be right that SAR is going to hell in a handcart, but with five months to go, you are too forceful in stating this as an inevitable fact. I'm aware that the existing S-92 bases cannot be abandoned to provide cover at Inverness (but, really, thank you for pointing this out
), but I'm pretty sure that Bristow would consider paying some overtime to the qualified individuals to allow them to man the existing and new bases simultaneously if that's what it takes to overcome any short-term deficiency in crews. And if, by April, noone has got the hang of NVG ops, will this stop the handover? Bristow and politicians alike will claim that a serviceable but temporarily-non-NVG S-92 (or AW189) offers a better capability than an NVG- and water-boiler-equipped but unserviceable Sea King. Would you approve of this? No. Would this be an ideal situation? No. Would it stop the transition from mil to civ? Probably not (but unlike you, I don't claim to know for sure).
TOTD
PS Sumpor, is it unreasonable to use a non-winch airframe for NVG training? Assuming (please correct me if I'm wrong) that there is no appetite for Bristow to do NVG winching, it seems a fair use of assets. I don't doubt that the work-up is a challenge, but with 5 months to run and plenty of darkness to practise in, I would guess that there may still be time to create enough people with enough proficiency.
lack of organisation and leadership is where the failings and associated delays will be
Don't worry, many of the ex-mil guys will feel right at home...