Re: UK Coastguard SAR - Bristow out??
Thank you coalface, your words (unlike makila and hc) are the words one expects from folks who want to make our piloting task better as time goes on.
The apology hc made for lack of de-ice is interesting, and fitting the helicomparitor salesman mold. Last time he unveiled this logic, windows were equal to crashworthy seats, until his company designed the modern safety into the heliciopter, then crashworthiness became a feature!
Nice try helicomparitor, but deice of rotors is now an essential piece of kit. Welcome to the 21st century.
For those who need deice in their EC225, I suggest printing and taping the below words on their windshields, as a way to quell their concerns. If written on steel, it should survive the crash:
"(You can).... get the job done safely on 99.5% of days (you don't fly on the 0.5% of days) and the extra cost (initial and maintenance) and weight of full de-icing is not justified (in the oil companies' opinion) - Love, Helicomparitor, EC apologist"
Regarding airconditioning, safety from bird strikes and safety from turbine bursts (all lacking on the EC225, along with hundreds of additional safety features grandfathered out) the customers have chosen, and will continue to chose the modern aircraft over the grandfathered old one. Now I understand hc's need to publish the weights he has, he left out the items that customers want for safety or comfort, and then brags about how light his helo is. Nice trick, works on ppruners, maybe, but makes the oil companies and SAR contractors walk away from the unsigned EC contracts.