SAR was their professional specialism. Dara Fitzpatrick had 20 years as a SAR pilot and Mark Duffy wasn't new to the game either.
I don't doubt that, nor their competence Mr 500fan - my remark wasn't aimed at them - but I doubt they had the luxury of 4hrs training per shift nor in depth NVG practice as did the military.
I seem to remember quite a number of RAF CFIT's in the years between 1970 and 1999
Please enlighten me Same Again? There were a number of crashes certainly due to mechanical failure and in one case stonefall during a winching but my memory must be clouded, as you say!
infantile remarks regarding the standards and professionalism of civilian SAR?
Same Again.
I wasn't for one minute'dissing you' or your colleagues young fellar/lady. Some of my ex colleagues are civilian sar pilots, and rear crew, and I hold them in the highest regard BUT I am yet to be convinced that an over-reliance on automation is necessarily a good thing and that civilian training hours are as generous as the ones that we enjoyed. Furthermore, I rather liked having a RADOP with a search radar. I spent eight years flying on the west Ireland patch btw - Yogi Whyte was a mate fwiw and I personally had the 'pleasure' of demo'ing the SK's night capability to the Irish Govt, after the IAC got the Dauphin (which wasn't the answer to their problem) and before the S61 got hired, so, try Uckers rather than Tiddlywinks!