Gasax - not sure you are right about the levels of risk far more people have died whilst offshore than whilst in transit by helicopter. But when someone falls off a rig, is asphyxiated etc it is just another industrial accident. Only when an installation turns into an inferno with associated good photo opportunities and multiple deaths does the level of public interest reach that occurring when a heli ditches and everyone is fine.
On the subject of design, I firmly believe that the certification system is mostly to blame. There are such huge hurdles to be overcome to achieve certification of new bits, that manufacturers prefer to limp on with old designs when they can. When they can't, rather than designing a new system from scratch, they will design a bolt-on patch to allow the deficiencies to be lived with.
Of course these great certification hurdles, once overcome, in no way guarantees a safe product as is routinely demonstrated. And don't get me started on the effectiveness of software certification - it is a joke!
Certification is nothing more than a block to progress and product improvement. Discuss!
Regarding your last para, if that were done there would be nothing left flying and it would be the rowing boat offshore for you!
HC
Last edited by HeliComparator; 21st May 2012 at 10:03.