And what you don't know is how many near misses, close calls or simply 'F**k Me's' that they had operating in a hostile environment over those years.
Over the water at night is a hostile environment, no matter what you are flying.
I think they were short-sighted not going for a 4-axis AP - a 3 Axis one can be counter-intuitive, especially if you have limited experience of using it in anger.