A charity with no affiliation to any ambulance service, who have often given false ETA’s in order to get tasked ahead of closer HEMS units (duty of care and casualty well being being placed first?), who have argued with ambulance crews at the scene in order to avoid transporting a casualty as they didn’t have enough fuel due to carrying too many clinicians more than required, who have no actual remit or area of responsibility so just grab anything from Hull to the M25, somehow have managed to fund a new AW169!!! How will that provide any more care to a casualty?

And all flown by the worst paid pilots in the country. A friend of mine was asked by the airframe provider to relocate his family to near Wyton, take a pay cut to £33k gross, for a position initially as technical crewmember in the left seat of an MD902 so he couldn’t even log any hours. Simply mind blowing.

The 169 is a beautiful looking helicopter!

No matter how bad terms and conditions get, there is always someone who makes apologies for it and makes it sound like those involved should consider themselves lucky,

FCL.010 definitions
Multi-pilot helicopter’ means a helicopter which is required to be operated with a co-pilot as specified in the flight manual or by the air operator certificate or equivalent document.

If the P2 is to log any hours then the helicopter must be a multi-pilot helicopter. A single-pilot certified helicopter can be operated multi-pilot on an AOC and therefore becomes a multi-pilot helicopter (with MP type rating and MCC requirements etc) - the AW169, AW139, S76 etc are all single-pilot certified helicopters operated as multi-pilot helicopters with MP type ratings offshore due to SPA.HOFO and OM requirements for the second pilot.

You can’t have it both ways. It’s either single-pilot and therefore P2 is not there as a pilot, or it’s multi-pilot and if operated for CAT the commander needs an ATPL.

as an ATPL of many years and hours in 5 figures, about 2 years ago when I looked at the pre-requisites to join I didn’t meet the criteria to join as a captain due to a lack of NVG hours, and the application i did put in didn’t even merit a reply it turned out, so no wonder there is a shortage of ATPL rated pilots if this is a common experience.

Anyway it doesn’t matter now as I have something else, but the pay and retention in this sector does seem to be a big problem, and I wonder how long it will be before people are paid properly.

All TCM’s at Childrens, KentSurreySussex, LincsNotts, MAGPAS, EssexHerts and I’m sure others who fly 169 provided by Specialist are pilots and required to have CPL/IR plus therefore ATPL theory plus valid medical. So not a number for retired bobbies or pilots. It’s a full role charged no doubt to the HEMS charities as such given they all tout being 2 crew for NVG night ops. Now tell me anyone with those qualifications should take a pay cut to that level? Although the extant CP at the time of the offer did in his condescending phone call tell my friend to be grateful for even being considered, before quickly vacating the position and returning to HongKong himself. The fact that my friend was a highly experience SF/SAR NVGI CRMI crewman instructor of 20 years should also have adjusted the position but that’s the likes of Specialist for you. Needless to say he now works offshore earning more than a HEMS captain.

Given the exodus from both Specialist and Babcock onshore will either side wake up? Both are currently in pay negotiations but from what I hear it’s still a brick wall despite even Babcock Scandinavian air ambulance paying double U.K. rates with infinitely better rosters. And don’t dare tell me the U.K. HEMS charities can’t afford it!!! I have banged on about it before but Wilts AOC and centre of excellence, London second airframe follies? MAGPAS really needing a 169?

Maybe just maybe there’s a journalist gathering the info as we speak.....

The beanie hat on top of the Rotor is normally where they stash some test equipment during the prototype phase. Come production some manufacturers also claim that it reduces drag and enhances lift.

LZ

that is a sh1t-loaf of expenditure for some old As365s - but is anybody surprised considering Operator ?

Maybe they should invest in slower, less reliable H145’s instead?

Or invest in the right crew with the right background, qualifications, skillset and motivation for such a demanding role such as Swiss, Scandinavian, Belgian and Dutch operators do. French I can’t speak for.

Why? Is there something wrong with the existing crew that you know of?

Underpaid so keep leaving...

So why was a current IFR CPL asked to take such a paycut by Specialist and move his family to near Wyton if so? It now makes even less sense but it was the case. Hence the assertion by me that yes Magpas TCM’s would be Pilots if provided by Specialist which would be the case if they were offering him a job there. Or are they completely on an absolute wind up...