RAF SAR Video - Why?

[Twinact]

Okay, call me jealous, but why have the SAR boys got their own video on the RAF website, while the real front line have to share a 2 min vid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The vids are very well done and sell the RAF a hell of a lot better than that poor sod cutting his finger in the supermarket! I guess the SAR boys were the only ones not on deployment at the time they had the money - rest of us were on det!!!!!!!!!

Have a look:

http://www.raf.mod.uk/downloads/videos/sar.rm

Wonder whats on the fishhead's site???????

[MarkD]

maybe the RAF recognised that if they didn't want SAR to go private (as in the Irish Air Corps) best to get some PR going...

[The Nr Fairy]

Call me ignorant if you wish, but as an attempt at Devils' advocacy, what does the military SAR give over and above civil SAR ? Similar airframes, same quality of crew, and although I don't have figures, I reckon a large proportion of civil SAR rew are ex-mil.

[J.A.F.O.]

Very useful those videos are too.

I hadn't previously thought of falling off a mountain or sinking my fishing boat but now I've seen the wonderful service that they offer perhaps I'll think again.

[c130 alm]

Im with you J.A.F.O. In fact im off to get lost in Wales tonight. If anyone asks tell them i was last seen heading for Pen Y Fan!

[Fg Off Max Stout]

The reason SAR needs to stay military would be that the SARboys generate a lot of good PR which goes some way to offsetting the bad PR from noise complaints etc.

[sarboy w****r]

Clearly we're considerably more photogenic than the rest of you disreputable lot...

[The Nr Fairy]

Max / sarboy:

Thanks ! Clears that up for me. :8

[Stan Bydike]

The Nr Fairy

"I reckon a large proportion of civil SAR rew are ex-mil."

Which highlights one of the problems of creeping contractorisation.

The inccoming civilian companies always pick up relatively cheap ex-service personnel. What happens when that source runs dry?

[RS15]

civi sar? no comment but, yep much ex-crab/fishhead and similar airframes ( 1hr less max endurance) but no NVG, no inland remit, stricter CAA weather limits,etc etc

[Mr C Hinecap]

Isn't SAR the ability to exercise a military capability - ie pulling those poor s0ds out of a bad place when told to go there on duty? I always thought getting our brave downed aircrew out of the brown stuff was the 'legit' reason behind it.:ugh:

[normally right blank]

Money!

You can get "anything", when you stress the payback to taxpayers from the military budget.

Denmark got EH 101's to replace S-61's. And six extra to run soldiers around.

Not much PR today to kill T72 tanks!

Best regards

(PS. The Austrian defence minister and Chief of defence tells me that their Eurofighters cost far less than the out of date medicine thrown out EACH year in Austria!)

[Twinact]

Mr Hinecap,

I believe you are confusing SAR (what our yellow/red & grey mil helos do) and CSAR or JPR, as it is fashionably now called.

The rest of you,

Get back to my original question! Why do those who go into harms way have to share a 2 min vid? Whereas those who have seen every episode of Eastenders since it started, except for a few weeks a year when they have to go south it is taped for them, get their own? They may be good looking but not that good.

Don't the frontline deserve better, after all SAR get a full page spread in RAF News just for getting airborne.:ok:

[ZH875]

Don't the frontline deserve better

I would say that the SAR guys do more op sorties than 'frontline' units.

If you want to find out what a SAR pilot did today, read it in the papers,


If you want to know what a Harrier pilot did today, just stand at the bar and listen.

Why do those who go into harms way...

Try hovering with the big fan blades less than 10 feet from a cliff face or a ships mast in a storm, thats what harms way is, no ECM or Jammers can stop a cliff face.

More power to the Yellow beasties.

[Twinact]

ZH 875

Mmm, what makes you think we don't face similar challenges on the real frontline?

- ECM and jammers don't work against RPG or 12.7 mm.

- Ever landed in the desert at night on zero mililux, I think the desert floor has the same PK as a cliff face.

- We don't always retire to a comfortable bunk with 3 square meals a day and then get 2 days off to recover - we have to go out again 10 hrs later.

- What do you call an 'op' - missing hill walker, drifting lilo, PR photocall?

Sure, we can read about SAR in the papers...........................

[lurkposition]

Hi,

Everyone faces challenges in their own way.

Why not chat to the ex SH (inc SF SH) blokes who have swapped over to yellow hats. Ask them how easy it is.

It is no fun milliluxless brown-out landings. SAR has the same problem too, together with whiteouts and continuous sea spray. Often during sorties mostly re-planned in flight with few, nice Wx, day recces.

Like most military jobs, SAR will most likely be moved to the civilian sector as will elements of SH (FI example), Tankers - an important miltary asset, all flying training (eek), right down to station guards.

It would be best to stop the in fighting and realise that none of our roles are totally secure.

When FJ goes unmanned they could be flown by civilian computer geeks from somewhere safe thousands of miles from the rough stuff.

Think about it !

Cheers,

lurkio

And now, back to the Guinness.

[MikeTells]

This is fantastic. I thought it was just the truckie boys that indulged in on-line pssng contests. Tell me again: which one of you is best, and why?:ok:

[WE Branch Fanatic]

RAF SAR assets were deployed to Acension Island during the Falklands war when lots of aircraft were operating from there.

Could civvy contractors be sent out like that?

[ZH875]

Twinact, I agree that ECM and jammers don't work against RPG or 12.7 mm, but climbing several thousand feet will.

The SAR Chopper cannot carry enough winch cable to help him stay at a safe height.


(Perhaps if the winch weights ate fewer pies, they could put thinner but longer cable in)

Mike Tells, in the Forces no one is spared when it comes to pssng contests, ever seen a bluntie twirl a biro, its magic. Makes a Harrier jockey look clumsy.

[Twinact]

What?

How do you land, get the troops onto the ground, you can't stay at several thousand feet! SAR don't need several thousand feet of cable because they never face that threat.

WE Branch

Yep SAR was on AI during Corporate, civvies could have operated there as it was a long way north!

Mike,

Thanks, but I come back to the original question why their own vid?:rolleyes:

[ZH875]

Sorry Twinact, thought you might be a Harrier Pilot, they can do all that and more, without landing.

Ok, so the SAR boys got a big bit of video, it could have been worse, how many times do the Red Arrows get all the screen time.

I remember in 1983, BBC Look North did a program on the HISTORY of RAF Scampton. At that time Scampton had been open for some 40 odd years, and the majority of the program was about the Reds who had been based there for less than 3 months.

May your rotors turn when needed, and may your aircraft feature in the next issue.

[Twinact]

Cheers ZH 875,

Definately not a Harrier bona mate, but don't get me started on the Sparrows.

Didn't intend to dig at SAR mates, (might want to become one myself the way defence cuts are going), but highlight that our roles have their similarities. MOD PR or is it Corporate Communications these days, is getting its act together on promoting the RAF - we want a bit more balance that's all.

Take care out there!;)

[J.A.F.O.]

:) Great idea, rather than criticising the boys and girls who do a difficult job; why don't we make this a Red Sparrows bashing thread instead, that'd be much more fun.

I'll even give you a starter for ten.

Overheard some years ago by a mate at a civvy airfield:

"##### Radio, this is THE RED ARROWS. Ten miles north of your field, request overfly at 200 ft."

"Red Arrows, ##### Radio. No known traffic to affect, continue at your discretion."

Several minutes pass.

"Red Arrows, ##### Radio. What is your position and ETA the field?"

"RED ARROWS overflight of your field was three minutes ago."

"Red Arrows, ##### Radio. Don't know where you overflew, but it wasn't our field."

Laugh, I nearly bought a round.

[STANDTO]

I've just wasted ten seconds trying to download this video. What format is it? It won't play on WMP.

By the way, thanks to the Irish ASR team we borrowed last night. The end result was a little frustrating, but anything to keep the natives awake all night!
:ok:

[Seak1ng]

How interesting could a video be of an aircraft lifting moderately heavy things from one place to another?

It would be hard to fill more than a few seconds....


SAR Boys!:D

[ShyTorque]

Twinact,

"RAF SAR Video - Why?
Okay, call me jealous....."

OK, You're jealous. :p

[Twinact]

Cheers ST,

How's the North - east these days!

Nice to see them rising, you lot must be on shift, enjoy your 2 days off.:=

[sonicstomp]

What we all need (regardless of specialization) is someone in Corporate Comms to come up with something better than a loser with a cut finger......The RN seem to continually steal the march on us when it comes to advertising....

"The team works" is a wee bit better than
"my finger hurts" ;)

[ShyTorque]

Twin act,

Yes, they're rising alright. ;)

Don't know much about the northeast but next time I'm up that way I'll see how things are and send you a sitrep! :ok:

[Dave Ishall]

Couldn't agree more Sonicstomp - that ad is more embarassing than the Shake n' Vac woman. Wonder how much dosh was eaten up by the think tank that came up with it, the director, production team, actors and the air time? Tried to find out who was responsible but nobody's saying anything over the phone so far......