The trouble is, we get into what I call a twin-engine mindset whereby we get to believing that twins are simply "better." Want an example, you say? Done, sir!
On the one hand, slgrossman says (and I quoth):
Several of the major oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico have already begun the transition to using only twin-engine / IFR capable aircraft.
Then, on the very next hand he says:
Liability is probably the driving factor, and there's still a ways to go. Nonetheless, if you're flying for one of the "big boys" things have gotten a lot better over the past few years.
Linkage, man. Saying those two things, even though *you* might not have meant them to mean the same thing, get connected in people's minds. "Well yes, slgrossman is quite right! More operators *are* going to twin-engine aircraft and things *are* getting better!" Which misses the point a bit.
Flown within it's meager limitations, a Bell 206B does fairly well in the GOM. Personally, always operating at <3000' DA, I never wished for more tail rotor. I did fly all the old Lorans and found them to be quite acceptable...let me qualify that...most of the time. GPS's are "better" of course, and far lighter than some of the old lorans, so that's a plus (...or, a minus when it comes to empty weight). Speaking of weight, it is true that with a raft and all the other accoutrements necessary for offshore flight, a lowly B-model becomes a three-passenger helicopter locally and a two-passenger if you actually want to go anywhere and if the guys are carrying anything more than a box of Kleenex.
So yes, 407's are "better" in that the oil companies can carry more crap and still allow us to have TCAD (why, WHY can't we have TCAS???). But mentioning the artificial limits put on how far singles can venture offshore is a red herring. Back in the days of yore, there weren't any rigs or platforms south of 28 degrees anyway, until...what was it...Bullwinkle? Which is just a hop, skip and a jump away from ST300 which for years and years and years had a 206 field ship. So in that regard things haven't gotten "better." They just haven't gotten worse.
So what has really changed in the GOM over the years? Oil companies and helicopter operators have become more risk-averse, okay, but they're still pretty much taking those same risks anyway. We're still out there in our new, modern, more-powerful(?) EC-120s, flying in 500' ceilings and three miles viz, and we're still out driving around in forty k-nots of wind. Just kinda gives you a warm-fuzzy, don't it?