How about putting in a Sea State 6, wind blowing about 45 knots, OAT of -10, and water temp of say....+5.....assume no one gets into the raft, and SAR response time of one hour to the scene, 15 minute search to the first survivor....and 14 people in the water.....at night!
How does that play out?
Good point SASless, IMO SS6 floats don't give operators the divine right to place pilots and PAX at unacceptable risk levels by flying in such conditions. The downside over here in NL is that there are very few "good" flying days, especially at this time of year.
My last couple of SLF trips in the Grand Banks have been right on the flying limits, sometimes after 3 days hanging around the heliport waiting for a "window". Vessel transfer is not really an option with our current season and big oil still wants that black stuff out of the ground and sent to market. The NL economy would be crippled without it as well, so we all carry on accepting the risks, just the same as the fisherman who goes out at 3 in the morning for days at a time with an under-funded SAR coverage. That's just the hard facts right now up here on the Rock.
Although it's nice to experience systems such as the RIPS working well I do ask myself these days what are our odds of survival if for some god-forsaken reason we have to go into the drink? Is our survival equipment and training really up to snuff? Will a 1-metre wave machine in a pool really prepare us for a full-blown capsize in 3-4 metre seas, I don't think so.
Should the A/C be more robust with run-dry capability, yes of course, well then when are we going to get that and what will it take before SAC will provide this capability in the S92?
Going forward we have to learn from mistakes, and IMHO SAC/FAA are 100% at fault here for 491 via a myriad of reasons and hopefully one day soon they will be found guilty and held accountable for their grave mistakes and do their utmost to make amends. We owe that not just to those we have lost but to all of us who still work in this industry, be it engineer, pilot or PAX.
Safe flying
Max