Great thread. I note the amount of range/payload/power increase requests but I think we are forgetting the axiom about nothing for free. If you want to take more payload further - then you buy a larger helicopter and pay the extra DOCs!! If we want our machines to take full fuel and full pax loads - then every time we fly with less we are paying DOCs that are too high. The CH47 is a great example here. By using it just to move troops (Afghanistan DAs are an exeption) you are wasting the asset. So if we want our smaller birds (206 & EC120 were mentioned above) to take off at full fuel and full pax, we cannot then also ask for lower DOCs. I think by asking for lower DOCs we are at the root cause because then we would be able to afford the bigger machines for those types of bigger jobs.
My 5:
1. Reduced DOCs.
2. Reduced noise.
3. Throttles back on to the collective with the arc of movement found on the 205/212/412 throttle. I reckon Bell got it right with the Huey throttle, and then when backwards with the 206 throttle by reducing the arc of movement. Collective mounted throttles with decent movement arcs offer so many more options to so many (although unlikely) emergencies - ie governor overspeeds/underspeeds, governor fluctuations, torque splits, tail rotor fixed pitch, tail rotor failure, etc etc etc.
4. NVG compatible cockpits as standard. As a dream - all IFR/night cockpits to have FLIR/NVG image projection onto the windscreen. But in reality, perhaps a cheap dash mounted screen that you can pop up on dark nights/IMC with a FLIR/NVG image projected from a small nose mounted sensor (like where the landing light is currently mounted in the AS350 series). I think this will GREATLY reduce one of our largest killers - CFIT.
5. Simple foolproof engine displays. As above - a large eye catching torque (or preferably "first limitation indicator") display and Rotor RPM display. These are our two most critical and watched displays - make 'em big! (Avoid the Longranger method of RRPM indication which is upside down). A tamper proof ETM should also be a mandatory standard fit to record all exceedences, flight time, etc. While I am bleating about this - "simple" would also mean making every limitation 100. Use of SDCs should be able to achieve this.
Um......just one more.....please??
6. A standard cyclic and collective switchology. No external load releases on the IFR trim release switch! No float activators in unusual places. No intercom/transmit switches on load release switches. No landing light switches on float activation switches - you all know someone whom climbed out after punching off a bucket or load or floats because of these issues.
I realise that requests 2,3,4,5,6 are not necessarily compatible with request 1, but who said the customer needs to be reasonable??
