•What are your flying limits with respect to sea state?. 6m significant wave height as per CAP1145. Aircraft floats are certified to 6 m. And even if they were certified to more, the CAP1145 6m limit would still apply.
•Do you ask the platform or the ERRV what is the prospect for rescue and recovery?. No. All that subjectivity was taken away when CAP1145 was introduced.
•If so, do you ask what the means of recovery would be i.e. FRC or Dacon Scoop?. No. The master of the vessel will use whatever he/she sees fit on the day. We all accept that the Dacon Scoop might be the only available tool at the higher end of the sea states. But that's why we have an FRC and the Dacon Scoop.
•If the answer is Dacon Scoop, would you still fly?. If the FRC is serviceable, but not available due to the weather, and the FRC is available, then we'll still fly.
Our ERRV has a Rescue & Recovery Performance Standard. And we carry our regular R&R trials, validated by an independent third party, to confirm that we can meet the standard.