With due repect Nick, the market won't decide for much longer. When the new JAR regs come into effect (2008??) most helos flying offshore ops will have payload limitations put on them, whereas the 139 will not. 76D may address this with more power, as it is the power margins that will be the determining factor with regard to payload. PM me with the purchase price of an offshore equipped S-76, IFR, with 3 axis autopilot, and I'll PM you the 139 price back. You might be surprised how close it is!!!
As for windscreens, yep, the early ones cracked. All the time!!!! New windscreens are out now, and all new machines should have them. If they don't, the retrofit is simple. They come predrilled for the screws, and all the holes actually line up!!!!
So far, no problems with the new screens. Optics are better, and the frame is much stronger. One thing that I don't like however, is the fact that the anti-scratch coating is not as scratch resistant on the new screens as it was on the old ones.
Why is it that manufacturers persist with plastic/acrylic windscreens!!! I even hear that the S-92 has acrylic screens. What was the reasoning behind that Nick? I personally prefer glass, even with a weight penalty