SASless: we know the answer, its yankie mentality - simples. Where have you been with this thread?
As a previous poster said, the FAA will NEVER regulate against the industry in this regard..land of the free etc etc.
It boils down to CRM...an eductional process practiced by some and totally ignored by others.
The WHOLE EMS problem in the US can be contained in one sentence:
PRESS ON ITIS.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with number of engines / number of pilots / autostabilisation, etc.
Until this is addressed, the US will continue to kill their own.
[I read another post recently where the boss of an EMS outfit had an SOP where the duty dispatcher was not allowed to tell the pilot what the circumstances of the trip were, nor what the condition of the patient was. This enabled the pilot to some degree to concentrate on the task in hand which was to fly his helo from A to B: SAFELY and without undue pressures.
So there are some responsible operators out there practicing what they preach. I like that
