SASLess
I was also around at the time the BV 234 was introduced by Brand X and, as I recall, many of the articles to which you refer appeared in that well known bugle of the offshore worker, the Press and Journal, prompted by passenger reaction.
The Tiger did indeed suffer from over-hyped Gallic marketing and the reduction in collective pitch setting did affect the cruise speed by some 10 knots but only after the BV 234 had had a precautionary limit of 120 knots placed on it following a series of gearbox problems. I distinctly remember an official complaint by a Brand X crew that a Tiger had deliberately overtaken them on the outbound leg and lowered the gear as it passed in salute!
SASless obviously feels as protective towards the BV 234 as I did towards the S61N but even he would have to admit that as a lifter and shifter it is beyond comparison but as a passenger transport it was not a success. The fact that the oil companies dumped it so quickly, largely on passenger feedback emphasises the view,
Columbia are using them in their primary role which is lifting and shifting.
HeliComparator need not worry too much about exposure to glitches in new technology in the S92 and AB 139 in the SAR role. As has been the case for some time now, there exists a fully operational tried and tested SAR machine available 24 hours a day in the shape of the EH 101 Merlin. In the unlikely event of the S92 or AB 139 not producing the goods the MCA could just call in the Navy!