Norfolk - 2-3 year cycle is impractical as you get rid of people just when they are becoming useful and give yourself a massive training burden.
Much transfer between SH and SAR wasn't possible, especially since Afghanistan, because the SH force wouldn't give up its crews (pilots or rearcrew) to go SAR - again because of training burden and also because they would never want to come back.
Most SAR isn't a dark art - right up until something a bit tricky comes up - think Carlisle floods or a quadruple ejection - then it is experience that comes to the fore - not just in terms of flying skills but in command and control and understanding how you interface with other emergency services.
The answer to my last is, no it isn't.
Same again - the CFT, as it was called, that I completed several times on exchange with the AAC was definitely more than 5 miles
Good question Llamaman
