Nick, Peter & Brian
I know how to practice engine failures but how do you practice flying into mountains?
How many helicopter pilots have flown a perfectly serviceable machine into an oil rig? How many have had engine failures, problems, governor malfunctions, etc,etc to & from oil rigs? I think all companies I have flown for during the last 40 years since my first oil rig landing in 1964 off Borneo, have had the requirement to be single engine capable after CDP and before LDP. This is not a problem if you operate at the correct weight. It appears on reading these threads that this possibly does not happen in GOM, one place I have never been.
In those 40 years I have lost count of the number of engine and other mechanical failures that I've had but CFIT is something I have control over, the helicopter doesn't.
Sure discuss CFIT as on shore it seems to be a newly common problem but surely one must keep practising to overcome any mechanical problem that may come your way.
The only single engine failure that I didn't fly away from was in a float equipped 206 and fortunately that company had taught me how to auto into the sea as I did my endorsement on floats!
