OK. I'll bite. what we need to do is to put out the entire SAR contract to tender. The Coastguard helicopters at Lee and in Scotland do a fine job AND for half the cost the Armed Forces do. The only thing that the Armed Forces do that the civilians cannot do is despatch SAR Divers (even the Crabs can't do that) So, lets bin the entire thing. Hand it all over to Bristows. Decommish the SK fleet and use the money saved to buy some weapons (and maybe some decent clothing).

If women are always right, who wins when a lesbian couple have an argument?

RAFLOO

The only things that the civs can't do is Low Level NVG(below 500') and SAR Divers.

No reason they can't do either - if training, regs and a budget will allow.

Got to get past the CAA though.

Sad to say that the Military have probably lost any claim to being the experts as Bristows do it just as well as the Mil.

In this day and age of diminishing resources the Mil probably need to redeploy their personnel in SAR to the overseas air force(basically wherever Tony wants to fight next). Mind you the exodus from the Mil of SAR Crews will probably allow the forces to trim down even further.

However in the spirit of this thread.....

Why is when a Harrier shuts down the whining doesn\'t stop?

Why is it if you tell someone there are billions of stars in the universe they beilieve you but if you tell them that there is wet paint on a door they have to touch it to check?

Why isn't palindrome spelt the same way backwards?

What shape would chairs be if your knees bent the other way?

SAR going out to contract
 

How High is a chinaman

When a fly lands on the ceiling does it do a half loop or a half barrel roll??

As soon as the contracts are announced then watch the dust as the Sea King boys sprint for the door, there really is no arguement that the Bristows boys are doing a superb job in Lee and Scotland so I guess thier expansion is inevitable, after all it is cheaper and cuts back on the nasty unpleasant serviceman charged with the so called defence of this country!!

I reckon it is a half barrel roll by the way!! :D

I believe they're all going to be re-sprayed to a standard colour scheme...Yep you've guessed it...Dark Pink and Grey, which should also solve Tigs2 dilemma about servicing.

Stax,

Is Wun Wing Lo a pilot?

Just as a matter of interest, Bristows aren't the only civvie SAR operator nor will they be!

Basically, The cab drivers and rearcrew will remain service.

Groundcrew are going to be civilianised.

This will release service guys to go to "front line first" units and allow the(civvy) groundies to get on with the job of producing servicable a/c to perform SAR duties.

Okay, it is a sad day for RAF SAR, but it means jobs for the redundant and ex service SAR.


Yes, I know a lot more but this isn't the place to say it.


Regards.

Exleckie.

If you want high visibility for the RN, why order green and black badges.

Whooa Leslie, wrong thread?

Or is it?

hmmm....................bed now

The whole contract is for total support.

Over five years, 300 million.

Thats 60 million per year, which will include projected salaries.

It means not only !st line(deliberate) but long term as SeaKing is expected to stay in service till 2018.

Think about what happened to the Sim Techs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For some people, it could be a good thing.

As a SAR Force engineer, we were told back in July that our jobs are to be contractorised around April 07. I haven't seen any of this published in any of the notices that came around detailing the cutbacks though, it just mentions 203/HMF. But all first line posts are definitely going too.

And then from 1 April 2008 the rear crew and drivers will be civilianised...

With the continuing development of CSAR, I would suspect that front and rearcrew will remain service types.

Look at COMR contracts, civvy groundcrew but with mil aircrew.

Is that not already in place at Valley and Cyprus?????

I think we are getting off the topic here lads

From The Office:

How can I kill a tiger armed only with a biro?

Will there ever be a boy born that can swim faster than a shark?

If you changed the biro's name to 'dillo'. Then all you'd need to do is find the way to 'arm' it. The tiger would have no chance... GRR!

SAR and CSAR are not even slightly related and RAF SAR assets are not equipped to do that job.

The RAF SARF is being neatly packaged ready for handover - it's just a shame it has to go to Valley first.

By 2012 the UK will have either a completely civvy SAR helo organisation run by the MCA or possibly staffed by a mix of mil and civ crews. The amount of training will be the bare minimum to meet the contract and the skill levels will go down. You cannot put a price on the capability of the mil SARF but the bean counters will try; they won't care about the reduction in capability because the bottom line looks good. Civvy SAR is cheaper.