The future of UK SAR, post SAR-H
Although all the larger firms are now mutli-nationals I am personally glad that Bristows have won this. Their history of service with SAR work in general and with HM Coastguard is extensive.
All the best to them during this 'interim' contract.
All the best to them during this 'interim' contract.
BBC reporting Bristows have the nod for the Northern SAR element of GAP. ...
Which directions were the other leaks from?
Is this corroboration or recycled rumour?
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Flounder..daft is perhaps too strong a word. No one said 6 real contractors either. Assuming CHC and Bris have the 2 Gap contracts, then it is more than possible that one of those 2 plus a new player could win one of the big contracts - I do agree though that 4 commercial contractors is unlikely. That means 3 commercial contractors will be involved in the transition.
My wider conjecture was based on seeing the 2 MoD SAR providers as two other players akin to contractors as far as transition management issues at working level are concerned. Hence my parenthesese against them in my earlier post. The party line from MoD is of course that they can be seen as one outfit, which is true from a legal, top level policy and contractural perspective. However, this is not so much the case when the single service views of the RN and RAF to managing their transition out issues are concerned, not least because of personnel and infrastructure issues at each base, never mind if other non SAR transition activity is happening concurrently... Think Lossiemouth and F35 for example.
I would also be surprised if we hear anything public and official next week about the SARH down select result. No doubt rumours will abound though... It is Prune after all!
My wider conjecture was based on seeing the 2 MoD SAR providers as two other players akin to contractors as far as transition management issues at working level are concerned. Hence my parenthesese against them in my earlier post. The party line from MoD is of course that they can be seen as one outfit, which is true from a legal, top level policy and contractural perspective. However, this is not so much the case when the single service views of the RN and RAF to managing their transition out issues are concerned, not least because of personnel and infrastructure issues at each base, never mind if other non SAR transition activity is happening concurrently... Think Lossiemouth and F35 for example.
I would also be surprised if we hear anything public and official next week about the SARH down select result. No doubt rumours will abound though... It is Prune after all!

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CHC out of Shetland?
I see a report in the Shetland news website that CHC are to loose the contract for SAR next year, and Bristows will be back until the new contract for 10 bases is awarded from 2017, would this be for all of Britain or just Shetland?
Shame its too late to bring back Oscar-Charlie too!
Shame its too late to bring back Oscar-Charlie too!
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Shame its too late to bring back Oscar-Charlie too!

If you think a "call sign" is all you need to conduct SAR then please stay off this website, unless you have something remotely sensible to post.

SAR in Shetland has been conducted by some very fine people over the years, it just so happened to predominately be with an airframe registered as G-BDOC.
I think you will find "OC" has been at SUM since 2007, in the guise of an S92 ! G-CGOC. Perhaps the "new" SUM machine will also be "OC" in another form.
One thing for sure it is " unlikely" to be a 45 year old S61.

P.
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jimf671
Would you be the same "jim" as confirmed to the Shetland News that no one would see any changes to the service at the "sharp end"? If so - how do you know?
Jurno alert chaps.
Jurno alert chaps.
Would you be the same "jim" as confirmed to the Shetland News that no one would see any changes to the service at the "sharp end"? If so - how do you know?
I think Jim Ferguson has been discussed on pprune before. My understanding is that he is based in Aberdeen and the TV folk there regularly use him and describe him as an aviation journalist. Sometimes they seem to go to him for a comment when they are too lazy to look up Bond or Bristow or RAF Kinloss in the Aberdeen phone book. I checked on journalisted.com and there are various J Fergusons on there but none of them are aviation guys form Aberdeen.
Why am I here? Cos I hang onto big gas turbine thingamajigs in stupid conditions and have to tell other people how to do it. (Plus some history of def contract stuff, specifier of inland helo work, and per ardua ad astra.)
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Whoops
Then jimf671, I apologise.
I am aware of the other "Jim F" and hence my question to find out which napp he dreamt his lastest facts up in....
Oh, and i'm loving "no resemblence"!
Scots
I am aware of the other "Jim F" and hence my question to find out which napp he dreamt his lastest facts up in....
Oh, and i'm loving "no resemblence"!
Scots
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Bristow Win SAR-G North
Bristow wins SAR-G northern area from CHC so boys in Sumburgh and Stornaway on there way back so well done every 1 in winning contract so come on with SAR-H 


It is going to be very difficult to remove these from the running for Long SAR. Could one imagine the mess it would be in if another 2 were added to the mix 
So much for admonishing CHC for the SARH debacle.....goes to show, it's not what you know it's what you do behind the scenes that counts.

So much for admonishing CHC for the SARH debacle.....goes to show, it's not what you know it's what you do behind the scenes that counts.

Let’s step back a bit and do a hypothetical exercise to separate competence from slagging. If you could pick which civil operator(s) should fly two dozen largish helicopters in the SAR role around UK for 10 years, who would you pick? To take out some of the variables and concentrate just on the different companys’ capabilities, pretend that the helicopters are bought separately and given to them, and that their operating prices are about the same too. And place your list in order of preference.
Tallsar's homework
From the DfT trade day list. OK, so several bean counters, trainers and so on in this list but don't betray anything by adding anything new, simply delete as applicable. 
agustawestland
Babcock International Group
Bond Offshore Helicopters Ltd
Bristow Helicopters Ltd
British International Helicopter Services Ltd (BIHSL),
British Southern Air
Burges-Salmon
CHC
DevelopingAssets (UK) Ltd
Dial Eipex
DLA Piper UK LLP
Elbit Systems UK Ltd
Eurocopter UK Ltd.
Evergreenhelicopters
Ernst & Young
FB Heliservices Ltd
Ferranti Technologies Ltd & Elbit Systems
Lockheed Martin UK integrated Systems
Milestone viation Group
Mott MacDonald
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Persides Consultancy Services Ltd
Primeguild Ltd
Quintec Associates Limited
Serco Defence Science and Technology
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Thales
WPK Management Consulting BV

agustawestland
Babcock International Group
Bond Offshore Helicopters Ltd
Bristow Helicopters Ltd
British International Helicopter Services Ltd (BIHSL),
British Southern Air
Burges-Salmon
CHC
DevelopingAssets (UK) Ltd
Dial Eipex
DLA Piper UK LLP
Elbit Systems UK Ltd
Eurocopter UK Ltd.
Evergreenhelicopters
Ernst & Young
FB Heliservices Ltd
Ferranti Technologies Ltd & Elbit Systems
Lockheed Martin UK integrated Systems
Milestone viation Group
Mott MacDonald
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Persides Consultancy Services Ltd
Primeguild Ltd
Quintec Associates Limited
Serco Defence Science and Technology
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Thales
WPK Management Consulting BV