Hi Tox,
I agree that if you just operate one or two ships it's a good idea to keep a good supply of spares for anything Eurocopter because their AOG system and spares supply in general leaves a lot to be desired, even with improvements they claim to have made. I still think they're pretty low on maintenance though, compared with other modernish medium helicopters like the S76 and Bell 412, compared with which they only need about 60% of the daily maintenance. The N3 seems to be more of a problem because of the problems every helicopter with Arriel 2 series engines in hot climates has with passing power assurance. It would be interesting to hear what the major problems are on Dauphin fleets in different geographical locations.