As llamaman said - crab you 've hijacked the thread. I know you well. Have you forgotten that I was an RN SAR pilot? Have you forgotten that I have supervised every single 'yellow' SAR pilot there is/was? Do you not realise that I, uniquely, have been in a position to compare and contrast both worlds?
Only Greg L has that same claim to fame.
The bottom line is that I have seen what 15 (serviceable) cabs, 250 people, 1 Group Captain, 3 wing commanders, dozens of sqaudron leaders, countless admin staff and millions of pounds worth of infrastructure can do well - nationally.
I have also experienced a small percentage of that 'product' - do ten times as much - globally. Mountains, oceans, war zones. 24/7, 365 days a year.
SAR is part of a naval pilots' job description. For the RAF it is an Empire. RAF SAR pilots go home every night of the week, they work 4 o, 4 off. They have bank holidays and summer breaks. They sit around for 80% of the time waiting for the only thing they can do - SAR. RN pilots spend days on end away from home in all climates, doing various flying tasks some of which is SAR. And has it been successful - they still do it and will continue to do it long after the RAF boys have handed their craft over to another competent outfit - civvies. And now, suddenly, SAR no longer seems a black art anymore.
Never was, never will be.
I respect you, you are a very competent pilot but please, please call it a day now "J" time to close that book and look to your future.
Sorry for stealing the thread.