Therefore the only cause for concern would be the viz on the aforementioned metar. Not forgetting the small detail of the Pennines, Fohn effect, etc. If the author of this thread was so interested in the weather over Sheffield why didnt he get the TAF/Metar from Doncaster (EGCN) which would have given him more accurate information???? Just a small point i thought i would raise.
FF, I think Doncaster stops reporting METARs after a certain hour, also in a way EGCN weather is not accurate for Sheffield which is really the edge of the Pennines whereas Doncaster is part of the flatlands.
Should also say my observing position is high on one of the westerly hills of Sheffield looking east over the city - so when the bad wx closed in on me (temp dropped from 7C->1C, hail followed by snow) and I lost sight of the helicopter they would still have had ~5 minutes before it reached the city centre.
Anyway, my main reason for posting was being so impressed that the thing could be up there - and after all the info I remain so
Just wish I could afford to learn to fly rotary myself!