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SAR to operate day shift cover only !

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dark_sider1

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We've been hearing all sorts of rumours knocking about up here at Lossie for a while now. So i've been told by our upper echelons, we'll be on 12 hour shifts too when we send a crew to the Falklands, but on 24 hour shifts when we haven't got anyone down there.

Mind you, we're meant to be going civvy in 2012 anyhow.

But what do i know....I only work on a SAR Sqn :pDT_Xtremez_30:
 
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MrMasher

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Its half civvy already, the civvy engineers stole my job! Ask TheWal, he knows :pDT_Xtremez_30:.

That article refers to 2012 when they are supposedly having civvie aircrew and new choppers.
The bases mentioned, Chivenor and Boulmer, can be covered by nearby bases anyway.
 
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retired real lecky

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how the fcuk does this work. i spent 4 years on SAR at leconfield. some barsteward is definately on a cost cutting exercise!! SAR is 24/7, 365 days a year!!!
 
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MrMasher

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retired real lecky said:
how the fcuk does this work. i spent 4 years on SAR at leconfield. some barsteward is definately on a cost cutting exercise!! SAR is 24/7, 365 days a year!!!
Click to expand...

What happened when a flight went off state? The closest flight covered it.

But yes, its obviously a cost cutting exercise.
 
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MrMasher

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retired real lecky said:
never knew lec to go completely off state, they sent us another cab from mawgan!!
Click to expand...

We were lifesavers even if we weren't an operational flight!:pDT_Xtremez_30:

Made a difference when 203 went to Valley though. Day 1 on the new Valley relocation. 5 cabs, 2 for the flight and 3 for the OCU, all U/S, Valley off state! Methinks a slight underestimation of how much work the mighty 203 engineers did!
 
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Teh Wal

Flight Sergeant
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MrMasher said:
Its half civvy already, the civvy engineers stole my job! Ask TheWal, he knows :pDT_Xtremez_30:....
Click to expand...
:pDT_Xtremez_19:

I feel that media report is quite misleading: I doubt whether we'll see the "...new rescue helicopters..." actually active at Chiv until possibly as late as 2016. The SAR-H program is going to be a gradual aircraft replacement program which will probably see Chivs and Wattishams Mk3a Sea Kings replaced last because being the youngsters in the fleet they are less tired than the Mk3's and the R.N. cabs. But let's wait and see :pDT_Xtremez_35:

Lack of foresight and understanding of SAR by "those above" is the driving force/reason behind 12 hour cover. Lack of man power (rearcrew) is the current predicament, again driven (caused) by my first statement IMO.
 
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morse1001

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SAR should be a continuous thing not just day shift cover.

In addition, with Civilians providing the cover, they would be hampered by various H&E rules which could result in criminal prosecution if broken. And bean counters could use the fact that the RAF are not using the choppers as much, could insist that the RAF cut back back on Helos!
 
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MrMasher

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morse1001 said:
SAR should be a continuous thing not just day shift cover.

In addition, with Civilians providing the cover, they would be hampered by various H&E rules which could result in criminal prosecution if broken. And bean counters could use the fact that the RAF are not using the choppers as much, could insist that the RAF cut back back on Helos!
Click to expand...

Care to elaborate on that?
 
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Teh Wal

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Morse... I'd like to see you expand on your comments too please mate, especially what you mean by "...H&E rules...".


MrMasher said:
... Methinks a slight underestimation of how much work the mighty 203 engineers did!
Click to expand...

Very, very, very underestimated! Feck knows where they got the stats from that they based the manpower figures on. :pDT_Xtremez_21: The main flights are undermanned for the amount of work we do (getting leave in can be a right ball-ache too) but Valley must be a ruddy nightmare with only 8/9 people per shift to cover both the OCU flying and the flight too. :pDT_Xtremez_42:
 
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morse1001

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MrMasher said:
Care to elaborate on that?
Click to expand...
As for the H&E, it would mean that CG helos would not be able to operate in weather conditions, which would be allowable in the RAF. However, i do realize that the CG are introducing All weather Helos, but they are still not in full supply.

In addition, At one time, all SAR was provided by the RAF and so the Defence budget had to include provision for them. However, if the Coast guard were to take over the main SAR provision, then the bean counters could say that they could include providing SAR cover for the forces, thus eliminating the need to keep both helos and trained crews in the RAF and Royal Navy, who could transfer to the CG. That would also mean cutbacks in the support services such as the Rescue Centre at Kinloss. So the Defence budget could be pared back even more
 
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MrMasher

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morse1001 said:
As for the H&E, it would mean that CG helos would not be able to operate in weather conditions, which would be allowable in the RAF. However, i do realize that the CG are introducing All weather Helos, but they are still not in full supply.

In addition, At one time, all SAR was provided by the RAF and so the Defence budget had to include provision for them. However, if the Coast guard were to take over the main SAR provision, then the bean counters could say that they could include providing SAR cover for the forces, thus eliminating the need to keep both helos and trained crews in the RAF and Royal Navy, who could transfer to the CG. That would also mean cutbacks in the support services such as the Rescue Centre at Kinloss. So the Defence budget could be pared back even more
Click to expand...


The helicopter crews will be simply transferred to another helicopter type. I can't see them all jumping across to the CG, or even being allowed to. Helicopters are and will be, for the foreseeable future, a very busy place, esp in dusty climates. Therefore experienced helichopper crew persons will be a high value commodity.

As for the all weather choppers, well this will be battled out in whatever form of contract is offered and bid for when SAR becomes fully civilianised.

I would imagine that the SAR element of Kinloss Rescue HQ will become absorbed into the CG.
 
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Teh Wal

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Firstly Can you clarify what you mean by "H&E" as you call it? Do you mean HSE (Health and Safety Executive... or H & S regulations or something else?
Secondly, CG helicopters DO currently work in the same weather conditions/states as RAF SAR helicopters. There are limitations on the operation of the choppers down south (in the English Channel) during the night at the moment plus there are certain limitations with operating at night overland, again during the night, due to them having no NVG capability but other than that they do a bloody good job.
If I were you I would go and read any information I can find about SAR Harmonisation and the future of UK SAR mate.
 
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