Originally Posted by
Eutychus
Ugh, you wouldn't get me into a helicopter unless there was a really good reason. Not enough redundancy.
I appreciate this is a judgement call. From my personal humble SLF perspective hopping between France and the Channel Islands on SE planes in daytime in mild, calm weather during which some land is always in sight appears acceptably safe - not least because the practice is widespread.
What this discussion is teaching me is that beneath this simple perception lies a veritable thicket for us SLF of poorly perceived relative risks, poorly understood qualifications/licences/certifications/insurance cover, and very unclear arrangements regarding paying passengers depending on whether charter is spelled with a small c or a big C. All of which, apart from loss of life, has the potential to go pear-shaped very quickly if a passenger is valuable in some way in addition to their intrinsic value as a human being, as is the case in this incident.
Nothing wrong with helicopters. Safe when maintained correctly and flown within the correct flight envelope. At least that's what I tell myself every time I go to work.