Cat A vs Perf Class 1 and OEI Hover
Thanks for all the input - in essence it appears there is a lot of debate surrounding why Cat A and Perf Class 1 and what term is used when.
Am I correct in saying:
Cat A is a set of certification criteria
Perf Class 1 implies you will have a successful departure/landing in the event of a critical power unit failure and indeed be able to stay aloft en route at the time of flight, BUT -
It still appears that Cat A is often referred to as the profile and as such can be either a towering one (with reversal) for say rigs/helidecks or an acceleration to Vtoss for a departure from a field - which allows for a safe reject.
SO in a nutshell - your aircraft is Cat A cetified but to be Perf Class 1 compliant you need to follow a particular profile on take-off or landing, which may require a reversal and then you need to ensure that you can stay aloft en-route.
THe other great Q that was posed is that of Cat A implying OEI hover capability - Me thinks not??????
Now for the interesting part - how is the A109 Power/K2 a Category A "equivalent" aircraft. Is this purely because the Part 29 def of Cat A is for large transport helicopters??