Jim, nothing in that Purdah document is relevant - shutting a SAR flight is not new policy or even vaguely political - the purdah is about avoiding political bias through advertising or patronage.
Sadly it must just be a complete lack of spine from someone in power.
I agree.
(Let's hope recent reminders to serving personnel about the use of social media were designed to protect us from guys with machetes and not to protect the management.)
