The single vs. twin argument should take a back seat to auto-pilot vs. no auto-pilot. The FAA took the low road when arguing for NVGs. Most US EMS machines are at best, marginally capable of flight in IMC. Having flown the full gambit of machines from VFR the B-206L and VFR AS 350B-2/3 to full single pilot IFR (SPIFR) B-230, A-109E and EC-135 it is my opinion that an auto-pilot does more for reducing pilot workload and enhancing safety than either 2 engines or NVGs. An autopilot takes the pilot out of the flight control loop and allows for the safe management of the machine while control is maintained. As stated in the OpsSpecs “ auto-pilot in lieu of a copilot for IFR flight”. A pilot in Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IIMC) has neither a co-pilot nor an auto-pilot. The outcome rest purely in the pilot’s ability to maintain control of the machine, while attempting to navigate and communicate.
Single engine vs. multi-engine could be argued for the Tucson mishap where a for a low altitude (<500 AGL) engine failure over an urban environment resulted in disastrous results.
