To John down under...."derring do" is not how I described what a right royal pain in the butt that Task was over two nights for me and one other crew.
What really made it fun is the powers that be would not tell us "why" we were doing that.
I surmised it was because some prick's wife said she was having an affair with a helicopter pilot and he was having some revenge.
Brother John,
While working for a very large oil company in the Middle East....which had its own Flight Department operating under the FAA Registry and Regulations.....I felt the need to choose a proper Room Name for use at pprune.
We were flying night VMC offshore in Non-Stablized 212's as the management (all former PHI guys) had cancelled the Sperry Systems that the aircraft had been spec'd with in order to cut the purchase price as they felt air conditioning was more valuable.....until they discovered the performance decrease....and then removed the Air Conditioning.
Leaving us to really sweat due to both the heat, humidity, and exertion flying in the pitch damn dark with no horizon in an unstabilized 212.
The management took the position that despite being offshore in the dark with no horizon or surface lighting for much of the legs....as the weather was VFR....we were VMC and not IMC.
Thus, my choice of "Sasless" was made....to remind me of just how utterly stupid some people can be.