SAS I'm sorry but you're losing me... The sum of your knowledge of PHI's safety culture is based on the views of one single PHI employee? C'mon now...
And what does the start switch on a 206 have to do with the price of fish in China? PHI had too many instances of blades sailing around all over the place in strong winds offshore and decided to rig the thing so you could have one hand for the throttle and one to fiddle with the cyclic position. That setup still allows for two hands to control the start button and the throttle; the difference is only that one hand isn't on the collective. How is their setup more conducive to burned up engines? Do you need two hands to close the throttle? I don't get it.
If other helicopter types didn't get this mod I'm guessing it's either because their rotor systems were deemed to be less prone to sailing or because their starter/throttle layout allowed for a free hand. I see it as an interesting insight into PHI's thinking as well, but as an (admittedly minor) example of their willingness to tinker with the way things are done out here and find solutions to problems encountered in the field. How can you find fault with that?
When it comes to the exposure suits... you got me. I Totally agree with you that they would be a safety enhancement in winter but to date not a single GOM operator (as far as I know) has issued them. But we do all have an EPIRB in our jacket. Have had them for years. Didn't your friend tell you?
And then there's that old chestnut about the UK system being different from the way things are done in the GOM. Of course it is. The regulatory environment is different, for one. As is the weather. Many of the rigs are much closer to shore here and can safely be serviced by something as simple as a 206. People drive on the other side of the road here, too. About the only thing that's somewhat similar is how IFR medium and heavy ships are operated, and it is exactly in that area that the GOM safety record is about on a par with the UK.
You say your friend has worked for PHI for decades? It couldn't have been that bad, then... He's not still going on about Bob Suggs is he? The man has been Gone and Buried for over a decade now, you know... Okay enough quibbling SAS. You've heard the point from your friend and now your online brethren Rev has provided a counterpoint. The truth can be found somewhere in the middle, as always. Happy sailing my friend...