Max, not being up to speed on things Canadian, does TC blindly accept FAA certification, or does someone in TC look at the certification data before accepting it? (just wondering if you can add TC to your list of those culpable).
HC, in one word and IMHO...yes.
Should it be this way,again IMHO...no.
SASless, totally agree sir, my previous post was directed at Big Oil not the operator who I personally believe do the best job possible up here with the equipment available to them. It's all a question of what level of risk we all are willing to accept. The fact that I still fly and do not exercise my right to refuse work is my own personal decision and does not detract from the bigger issues currently present not just with the S92 but with helo ops globally in hostile environments. I've been in this industry for nearly 20 years now and have seen many safety improvements over the years, but there is always still room for improvement.
I'm hopeful that one day FAA & SAC will provide us with a more robust A/C but there will always be risk in relation to flying ops, especially in the Grand Banks. More robust safety equipment (survival suits), better and more realistic training will be steps in the right direction.
With the 2nd anniversary of 491 all too soon approaching I reflect back and look to see how we are now better off. For me there is still not enough forward progress on all the issues that we are currently aware of. Hopefully this will change soon.
Safe flying
Max