I do not meet the criteria, so I did not invite myself. I was mentioned so came in.
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Yes the 429 may well get a looking in, yes the Explorer may get a look in. But the manufacturers of both those types have gone on record as saying they will not be able to adequately service the market with new airframes before late 2007 or 2008. There is a suggestion that the needs of some might well precede that sort of dateline. So my list stands as given.
whoateallthepies I would severe exception to your statement that [the Explorer] is 'supremely good at what it is required to do' and then to mention the 'historical troubles'... that does not compute as a balanced statement even if only on the grounds of the 'troubles'.
No helicopter is 'supremely good' all are a compromise and this thread is supposed to be asking for ideas from ppruners about the good and bad points between two candidates to enable a choice to be made. 'Supremely good' suggests there is no choice, and is hardly a balanced assessment of anything aeronautical. On the contrary more than 501 customers say there is an alternative to the 'supreme' being. Or perhaps you think PAN bought them all up from massive profits as a scam just to wind you up!
Yet, on a 'purely operating level [the Explorer] is a good helicopter'. As reported it hasn't always operated!
Overall it just sounds like you are mighty biased towards a particular product which I rarely if ever knock on flying quality or capability. Reporting the problems - of which there have been a few - is not bias it's reporting.
Perhaps there are things I caused? Perhaps you think I have magical AOG powers?
And back to that age old juvenile finger pointing....
No, Eurocopter have never ever advertised in my publication. McAlpine, Eurocopter UK currently do not advertise in my publication, they like most of the the major manufacturers UK representatives and aircraft suppliers have advertised in the past. Both MDHI and Boeing have advertised the 520N and the 900 in the past.
And to top it all you have formed your very biased negative opinion on my reportage of perhaps 50 words in 50,000 by regularly reading PAN.
So I am well satisfied!!! That's all I ever asked of you.
PAN has given you a biased opinion!