Originally Posted by
puntosaurus
Well HEMS are allowed to have technical crew members, so I don't see why SAR can't.
PS. I just looked through PART-OPS and it looks like there is no SAR Special Approval (SPA), and only an indirect reference under Specialised Operations (SPO-HEC Human External Cargo). So it wouldn't surprise me if SAR operators had HEMS approvals already.
Is anyone able to give a basic overview of the Irish SAR regulatory regime? Particularly regarding rear-crew.
I'm familiar with the UK situation and Crab and I are amongst those who believe there are missed opportunities there regarding the skills of 'SAR Technical Crew'. The same seems to be true about a number of territories. An opportunity exists for a regulator to grow a great big pair and make a world-leading move toward SAR Technical Crew being a licensed aviation trade.