I think there are a couple of points that need highlighting.
TRIGGERED LIGHTENING: NEW SCIENCE
Although we knew some time ago that helicopters get hit by lightening, resulting in AAIB and CAA reports, it was only during 2012 and 2013 that academic work was published that allowed an understanding of the mechanism of these events and prediction of high risk.
Until recently, no mountain rescue training had ever been cancelled due to risk levels for triggered lightening.
Last month at Kintail, a mountain rescue first aid training day with hillside scenarios had to do without helicopter support because of the risk level for triggered lightening.
HELICOPTER TRAINING: BRISTOW INVERNESS
Lossiemouth has always served the busiest Scottish MRT. This was where the action was. You may have recently heard the radio interview with John Prince during which he described how he had wanted a posting to Lossiemouth for that very reason.
Bristow Inverness inherits that mantle. Unfortunately, it does so with both the AW189 problem and the storm damage problem. This has resulted in serious delays. Initial training for MRT and others, during January, was cancelled and several other such training events have also been cancelled since.
While teams in the west with S-92 experience have taken a step back, some of those in the east, like Cairngorm, have still failed to get the training that they require. It appears that a number of factors have conspired to cause that problem. Undoubtedly, one of those is vital aircrew training that has similarly fallen behind the planned advance.
From where I sit, it is better that they catch up with their NVIS training but for Cairngorm, having much of the team still never having trained with a modern helicopter three weeks into service provision and in the fourth month since the start of the work-up period, must be extremely frustrating.