None of this flying is a secret. All the aircraft involved are on ADS-B and the tracks are there in publicly available internet databases with a full record of times and day-twilight-night conditions. One of them may still be out over the Channel in the dark as I type this.
They are contracted to provide crews who operate in all light conditions down to 2 mlux, so what would make us think that a training and certification delay specific to NVG also has a bearing on operations in 1 lux?
As for who is paying for what, I am sure that a few complicated sums have recently been done by various bean counters. And fourteen shillings and sixpence ha'penny here, and two guineas there (trying to make it easy for Albert to follow
). You know what? It probably adds up to the square root of the cube of bu99er all in the big picture. Nobody is going to be left lying in the snow or floating in the water because of those calculations so unless it's part of the course work for their OU degree in contract law it's not a burning issue for most folk.
Maybe get on the blower to Inverness or Humberside or Caernarfon Crab and remind your former colleagues that without their favourite QHI around their skill fade will catch up with them. Or is it that it's difficult to stay on-the-ball without the smell of leaking AVTUR and burning wiring in the background to keep you alert?
One day it will have to be faced that modern powerful and well-equipped civilian aircraft are doing UK SAR and the sky has not fallen in.
There are a few wrinkles in the plan and searching questions have been asked of principal players. Frank answers have been forthcoming. Those who refuse to recognise the commercial landscape do not get to hear the frank answers because they do not provide room for the contractor to obey Rule 1 and Rule 2. Rule 1: Do not p155 off the regulator. Rule 2: Do not p155 off the customer. (Or is it the other way round?) Maneouvring toward the frank answers is no more or less difficult overall than with the Royal Air Force or Fleet Air Arm (NVG, paramedics, FLIR, ...).
In the Highlands, we are expecting the full contracted capability for aeronautical support to mountain rescue from Inverness with a Sikorsky S-92A during winter 2015/16. We are expecting the full contracted capability for aeronautical support to mountain rescue from Inverness with an AgustaWestland AW189 during winter 2016/17. We are hopeful of low-light capability being added to the capability of GAP SAR aircraft operating from Sumburgh and Stornoway soon after the extra training loads are lifted from the MAIN contract.
Recent article in Casbag ends as follows.
"Importantly, we have a role in providing opportunities, in both training and operations, for this service to develop to its full capability and maturity."
One day soon Crab the press and public will be cutting Bristow as much slack as they once cut you. I expect to be still asking searching questions and maneouvring for frank answers.
(Still more questions about the rear than up the front.)