To answer the thread's question:
Yes, 1200 hours in AB205 (equivalent to H) in one of the most breath-taking countries in the world. Never mind what the recent victims of Saif Sareea II say about it; Oman had everything a baby heli pilot could want and more. Landing and shutting-down in a wadi 2500 feet high, 1000 feet below the top on an otherwise vertical cliff face - unable to lash the blades as the tailboom was sticking out over the lower 1500 feet. Standard operating altitude on exercise and task was <50 feet, 'cos everything above that belonged to the Hunters and the occasional lunatic Skyvan driver. Could've done with better crosswind-from-the-right performance up on the jebel (ops up to 10000 feet, +26 deg once), though...
More recently, 850 hours over 3 years on the 212 in the Borneo jungle. And they actually PAID me to do it! Does life get any better than that? Apart from stiff knees while I reacquainted myself with that unique Bell attitude to cockpit ergonomics, there wasn't a single thing I'd change about the beastie.
Only one thing I'd change about this board, though.. I wish there was a filter that could zap a Lu-ism before it even left his keyboard. Boy, am I getting tired of Z and the Art of Helicopter Maintenance. Sorry if that sounds intolerant in what I gather some people consider a season of goodwill to all men, but I find I only have so much of that commodity to offer.
Eid Mubarak/ Happy New Year/ Gong Xi Fa Chai or whatever to everyone else.