Sumburgh Shetland

....and Newquay?

PA12/11921 | EIA Screening request for a Search and Rescue Helicopter facility including hangar, workshops and ancillary space within a two storey building plus associated hardstanding | SAR Facility Newquay Airport New Road Carloggas St Mawgan Newqu

At Newquay International as well!

Bugger - beat me to it flounder!

;)

Stornoway & Newquay with 3 days of each other in December 2012. Does someone already know the outcome of the bidding process or is this a precautionary measure to ensure things are moving along. I suppose an application can be easily withdrawn and the cost is peanuts compared to the potential costs associated with delays.

It does rather confirm the rumour that SARH won't be operating from Culdrose.

Crab: If you were a civvy operator, would you through choice choose to operate from an MoD airfield!!!

Any news of Chivenor or Leconfield?

No, but I think neither will stay on MOD land as apparently Defence Estates are very difficult to deal with - there is an empty police ASU building and compound at Pembrey that would probably fit the bill and if the Culdrose flight is relocated at Newquay, it seems likely that Chiv would be moved to South Wales - sadly!

As things currently stand, the Dyfed Powys ASU is still based at Pembrey. Even if it closes, as proposed under NPAS, would basing a SAR flight next door to an active range make sense?

57A

When we go to that part of the world on a job the first thing we do is get the ranges to check-fire if we need to fly through them or route around them if not - the AA and Police do the same so it is a non-issue.

I thought the NPAs arrangements had already been implemented - I must be a bit premature.

The axe still hangs over DP Police ASU, Crab.

How's this for confidence and a little bit of emotional blackmail:

AgustaWestland Hopes To Sell 200 SAR-Equipped AW189s

Big fat Lynx, isn't it?

About as much use as the Lynx as well!

AW are an Italian company and no-one should believe that 189 production would stay in the UK once the small run for SARH was complete. The AW contract for Algerian training has been closed down now at St Mawgan and any remaining training is probably going to be done in Algeria or Italy.

When an Italian company has the choice between keeping jobs in their own struggling economy and the only slightly better UK one - it should come as no surprise that they will go for the home fixture. A cycnic would say that Finmeccania only wanted Westlands as a conduit to easy government money in UK.

As a stretched 139, the 189 will bring little extra to the SAR party and no-one seems to be buying the 139 for SAR duties - certainly not 200 of them! They have just got the cabin wrong - again!

Really? So, UK (FBH/CHC), Malaysia, Sweden (SMA), UAE (UAEAF), Qatar (QEAF), Spain (Salvamento Maritimo), Italy (AMI, Coast Guard), Egypt (EAF), Trinidad & Tobago, Japan, Azerbaijan, Netherlands (Caribbean) Australia, Cyprus, various US agencies haven't ordered the AW139 for SAR?

Beat me to it TwoStep!

Also, AW have stated their intention to base 189 production at Yeovil, it would make very little economic sense to uproot and move the production line to Italy once it has started. For once it would be nice to applaud some potential good news for British industry (even if the parent company is Italian).

In the current climate any creation of jobs and potential export revenue has to be a good thing. I guess some people are die-hard cynics; sadly, the option to build some brand new Sea Kings in a wholly Brit-owned factory staffed by Anglo-Saxons, using only materials produced in the UK and to be operated only by military crews just isn't going to happen.

OK, so maybe they have sold a few then.

As for production - we will just have to see what happens won't we?

Cynical - yes - and usually not without good reason.

what AW actually promised...
 

was that if a UK order for SAR configured AW189s was forthcoming, all SAR configured AW189 for any future customers would be assembled in Yeovil, VVIP and corporate aircraft would be assembled in Italy (at least, maybe in Brazil and Russia and the USA as well?)

SAR is just one role for the aircraft, like AW139, it has more strings to its bow than just one mission.

The reason that the Algerian training contract has finished at Mawgan is that all the aircraft are now in country and the crews trained up, of course future crew will be trained in Algeria.

don't worry, Crab will never let the truth get in the way of Westland bashing. I wonder if he has even seen, let alone flown on a AW189?

DM

No, but I have flown the 139 in the SAR role which is, I suspect, far more than you have done DM.

As ever DM, AW's promises will have the devil in the detail and, even by your statement, they are only planning to assemble the SAR variant in Yeovil - just how many jobs will that actually create/save and for how long if the expected number is 200?

It is smoke and mirrors in order to get SARH to act as a product launch (unproven product) for the 189.

Whatever the detail it could be the first time a civil helicopter will be built in the UK for some time, surely something worth celebrating? As for selecting an unproven product, was the Sea King a proven product when it was selected for SAR duties? No, it was an ASW aircraft that was adapted to the role.

Play nicely with Crab please as he has issues from his time with the AAC and should be treated gently - PTSD and all that...

Wasn't the S-92 unproven in the SAR role until CHC got their hands on it for the interim deal? Seems to have worked out pretty well, clearly the thinking if, "if it works in the UK, it can work anywhere?"