"The AB139 ... is ... a very worthy helicopter"
I am sure that the designers at Augusta, Bell will be very gratified by your gracious endorsement, Mr Lappos.
Seriously, though, crashworthy seats are important and I am sure that in time lives will be saved.
Seating is, however, not the only consideration when assessing the “worthiness” of a helicopter. There are two main contenders in the heavyweight class at the moment, the EC225 and the S92A. They each have their champion on this forum (although the level of debate at times leaves a little to be desired). Each has its merits and its faults. The passenger compartment and baggage area of the 92 are clearly superior in terms of space and, as has been stated, the crash resistance of the pilots’ seats in the 225 does not meet the highest standards. The 225’s deficiencies can mostly be explained by its derivation from a 1960s aircraft.
The shortcomings of the 92 are less easy to explain and one wonders whether they stem from a “not invented here” syndrome. The avionics are, to say the least, disappointing. Just as one cannot imagine someone preferring the cabin of the 225 (it’s so cosy!), no-one who has spent even an hour with a Eurocopter display would consider the Sikorsky version an improvement. The cockpit, while far more spacious, is poorly designed ergonomically, with much wasted space and many controls being out of reach for one pilot. The field of view from the cockpit is poor, especially in the hover, and will undoubtedly lead to problems, especially landing on small, moving, decks. My biggest concern, though, is with a linking of 3 factors. I cannot speak for the 225 but certainly with the 332l, zero/zero autorotations were possible. Again with the 332l and, I imagine, the 225 it was permitted to inflate the flotation in the air. This is prohibited on the 92. In a forced ditching it is therefore likely that the aircraft will arrive fast and heavy and roll before the floats can deploy. This is especially true if only the standard, fuselage mounted, floats are fitted. One then has the problem of an inverted helicopter with less than ideally sized windows. There are many offshore workers who would struggle to fit through one on a good day, let alone inverted, under water, in the dark and panicked, wearing a LAP jacket. I just hope that I will not be able to come back to this post in years to come and say “I told you so”