S76 and Jar ops, configuring aircraft for sale, glass windshields and the bird
Hey there JimL,
Jim is right about eye off the ball, but it didn’t have anything to do with how the operator spec’d the aircraft. The 76s does not have all the digital outputs to provide input to the FDR that JAR OPS 3 requires in the 2004 rule. As for dropping the ball well yes my recollection is that it was finally brought to the Sikorsky sales team attention by a very astute manager in Red Hill trying to convince a customer to use the 76 in the Southern North Sea.
As for the Bristow aircraft yes they were spec’d in the USA, mostly in my office and in New Iberia. Bristow/Air log, (it was actually OLOG at the time as this was 2002), spec’d the 76s with the intent that they would cross both Atlantic and Pacific. I note again it was 2002 before the JAR OPS 3 rule, but in the middle of the ruling discussion, still no excuse. Sikorsky and the customer did put a lot of thought on the proper kit to add/delete so the aircraft could go to different business units. Hence I’ll answer part of another question posed on this site, the Bristow C+ and ++s delivered since 2002 were delivered with glass windshields. Can’t comment on what as occurred since but I understand they do remain that way.
Jim is also right about working to a solution and (I will say I am completely out of the loop with Sikorsky now) that is how the camera solution came about. Due to lack of digital outputs required, don’t know which ones though.
I understand the D model with a new cockpit and flight control system will fix this issue.
And since this is a rumor network I will say one rumor I heard from reliable sources: the team sent in for the initial recovery did not have bio hazard suits so they sanitized the accident site. Only a rumor but does explain the delay in identifying the bird’s remains.