Oberon,
As part of some preparation for a legal case in Oz, I came across a House of Lords or Privy Council case (maybe 3 yrs old) that related to a suit brought by the wife of a police observer killed in an accident. I don't know where my copy is, otherwise I would give you the reference. The status of observer/crewmen was debated at great length and I believe that the case would be determinative in an English court should compensation be sought.
Interestingly, the situation in Australia is different because a helo pilot provided the drafting instructions to define "operating crew", as distinct from flight crew and cabin crew:
operating crew means any person who:
(a) is on board an aircraft with the consent of the operator of the aircraft; and
(b) has duties in relation to the flying or safety of the aircraft.
[Note This definition includes persons:
(a) who are conducting flight tests; or
(b) who are conducting surveillance to ensure that the flight is conducted in accordance with these Regulations; or
(c) who are in the aircraft for the purpose of:
(i) receiving flying training; or
(ii) practising for the issue of a flight crew licence. ]
Observers etc have a very clear safety of flight function - without them, there is an additional risk that the task at hand would be too distracting for the pilot or even an overload and, in cases where the machine is operated in close confines, there is a risk of rotor strike etc.
After having operated multi-crew helos for over 25 years, I find some of the responses posted to be very disappointing - those who posted them should take themselves and their very much out-of-place egos and drive taxi cabs - at least their behaviour and their manners would not be so surprising.
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Stay Alive,
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