Nick/Rotorbrent
The implication here was that the EC135 was designed and certified to the latest most current version of FAR/JAR27. I was not implying that the EC135 was a competitor to the S-76 for of shore transport, only that it was designed and built to the latest standards. It is a fine little light twin that performs quite well in the EMS market.
The following is an excerpt from a technical paper given by a Mr. Mark Butler in the UK in 1997: “This new middleweight helicopter, successor to the BO 108, is the first European helicopter built from conception to the new FAR 27/29 regulations. The high crashworthiness requirement of the new regulations has been met at a weight that does not represent a significant premium over previous non-crashworthy systems, and this is of particular relevance in view of the likely extensive use of this helicopter in police, paramilitary and medevac operations.”