CEFOSKEY, i recently considered moving across into the testing side of helicopters. It strikes me as a fascinating area to develope in. I chose to move into diesel piston reciprocating engines because most of the development FEA/CAD software and techniques are similar. Ultimately it came down to me beating a path homewards - not that i didn't enjoy five years in Scotland...
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ChopperFan, one must be careful comparing electronic hardware to mechanical hardware. A silicon chip can advance without any fundamental increase in the material performance - you improve the manufacturing technique to make each transistor smaller. A helicopter must test the fundamental stresses of the materials for any reasonable performance.
Actually there have been many significant advances in helicopter design, but only apparent to specialists. The materials allow for increased time between overhauls, the exhaust emissions have gone down, and the same payload can be carried further for less fuel. Of course these have been brought about by the silicon revolution, but ultimately this just shows how up against the limits the mechanical systems are.