As the result of a book coming out next week (
Rescue Pilot | Rescue Pilot Book by Jerry Grayson AFC) I have a number of national radio interview slots coming up, for which the recurring question is "Is it a good or a bad thing that SAR around the UK is being handed over from military to civilian auspices?".
My response so far has been that whilst old f*rts like me might react emotionally it's probably, on balance, not a bad thing. The national SAR system will be equipped with brand new hardware, primarily flown by guys who learned their trade in the military. We might not like it but it's a done-deal and it's now up to everybody to pull together to help make it work, hopefully better than before.
I don't have any great axe to grind on this subject, having effectively "retired" to Australia; a country that has made civilian/commercial/sponsored SAR work pretty well. But if anybody has
succinct,
adult and
pertinent overview points that are still worth making nationally I would be happy to try weaving them into the media forums I've been offered.
I'm now off to don a tin helmet!