HEMS or SAR?
Seems to me more and more HEMS operators with vertref or hoisting or short hauling jobs using mirrors. Standard since a lot of years in Switzerland and Austria also during the older Al III years. The Federal Police (former known as Border Guard) in Germany today works without mirrors but have ordered the new ships EC 135 with mirrors. The french EC 145 are mirror equipped. The armies doing SAR/HEMS jobs in Europe working nearly all without mirrors. Anyway, i believe a mirror is giving additional or sometimes lifesaving informations to the pilot.
Interested in a mirror view? Have a look in the EC 135/145 mirror on a 120ft line Human External Cargo (HEC) lift! Just my view after thousends of lifts with all kinds of loads including rescue, crane or hoisting. The back guy (observer or hoist operator) is good, but i like the personal view on the things going on below me! More safety also if the Intercom fails.
