Most light twins are bought by wealthy individuals or corporations. The owners step out of their BBJ, G550, etc and into an EC155, SK76, etc to take them home. Do you think that they would find “limited exposure” comforting? They think that they have bought or hired a twin engine helicopter in the same performance category as their jet and at no time will they be exposed to danger in the event of an engine failing.
Those with experience of the types that I have mentioned know that, short of operating from an airfield, the OEI will just take them to a difficult landing spot if the surface isn’t anything other than a smooth grass field.
In the real world of onshore commercial or private corporate operations those types of T/O and Ldg sites are very rare.
The Manufacturers have relied too long on the pilots keeping quiet on the weak performance of their helicopters. We need our jobs and we want our customers to fly so we do the best that we can with the equipment available. Eurocopter’s 155 can not get airborne on 2 engines at gross weight at +30 GPA! The OEI situation is fingers crossed!
Sikorsky’s answer to the weak performance of the 76A was to devise complicated and uncomfortable profiles that scared the passengers. The full Group A T/O profile requires nearly 1000 metres of firm clear surface? Where does one get that in Europe? The GPA Vertical reduced the payload by 1200lbs and still required 450 feet of clear firm landing space. The 76B’s performance was a vast improvement but then they produced the C. That was somewhere between the A and B in performance terms. What progress!
The regulatory authorities in the UK have not given special easements for helicopter GPA operations. They regard GPA helicopter operations in the same way as GPA fixed wing (light underside damage, no injuries to pax and no danger to third parties). Where possible, operators fly to GPA (restricted) to enable more realistic operations.
Some twin engine helicopters will ditch on the Thames if OEI occurs shortly after TO from Battersea Heliport. We brief passengers on emergency actions and life jackets but they assume that a twin will continue to fly away OEI. That is, after all, why they bought/hired one. Regulations do not require us to tell them otherwise.
When will the manufactures provide twins with OEI fly away at any time, at gross weight and at realistic temperatures for many parts of the world?
For too long manufactures have been producing and selling helicopters under the Cat A/ Group A category that are applicable to airfield operations only.