Betty,
Why ask a question you already know the answer to? To make your point I suppose.
My point was regarding the comparison between helo and MPA arrival on task times at the scene of a SAR incident, as brought up by hanfimar, which is not always as simple as some people many believe and has more determinants than just aircraft speed.
Having said to hanfimar in general your point has some validity I would have thought it must be fairly obvious that I wasn't saying that an MPA doesn't have a place in SAR operations. Best tool for the job and all that
So what exactly do you think the transit time for a helo to go 500nm offshore would be?
reynold,
Good for you. I never said the MPA wouldn't get there first, just that it isn't a given. In the 70's MPA SAR was on 1hr notice. As I stated, by the end it had increased to 2hrs. No more staying in the mess, but at home on pagers. And if your incident was 100nm off the coast of Cornwall and not 250nm. Mind you, you might not have been needed then.
You MPA guys need to stop being so defensive. I never said that an MPA wouldn't get there first, just that IT WOULDN'T ALWAYS GET THERE FIRST!! I didn't realise that was heresy, it happens to be a simple fact of life. Indeed, if someone determines that it won't get there first it may not be sent at all, depending on the situation.
Last edited by Biggus; 6th Nov 2014 at 20:13.