Everything we do is based on dollars Crab. How come you even fly at all in the north sea, wouldn't boats be safer?
If you know anything about safety you would know James Reason himself says ASSIB. As safe as possible... and still stay in buisiness. No contractor could operate a twin for powerline work in the US and stay in business. Companies have tried it, the went under or sold the twin. Its not a few more dollars in the first place. For a twin with single engine fly away you are talking 3-4 times as much money, and since we are talking crews that are working out of hotels, now you have a 5-6 man crew on the road to support the thing instead of 2. Dont forget we have over 4,000 power companies in the US, and only 2 are government run. We have 5 million miles of powerlines most of which are 60-80 years old. If a power company was planning on using a 500 to do a years worth of insulator replacement on one of these 70 year old lines (lets say about 2 million dollars worth) do you think they are going to entertain a bid for 6-7 million on the same job because the contractor is going to use a 212 or 355NP to do the same work? They already have to get apprroval form the public utilities commission to roll 2 million in the electricity rates, if they asked for 6-7 mil instead the rate payers would protest and the request would likely not go through. The PUC would ask to see competing bids and take the lowest one...
Crab. you are full of crap on your "every time" statement, my stats above prove that.
I guarentee there are dozens of single point failures on whatever bird you fly as well. At the rate you brits have been dropping pumas into the pond the past few years I wager you'd be better off toteing the rig hands out to work on a longline in a 500.
Single point failures exist in any machine, the solutions are either:
Develop a redundant system where practical,
Make the single point failure rare enough to accept the risk.
Engine failures on allison-250s properly maintained are 1:1.5million flying hours. That is plenty rare. Thats half a century for our industry. The key there is properly maintained, which most of the engine failures our indusrty has had turned out not to be.
The methodology isn't the problem, the problem is the problem.
Last edited by 500guy; 3rd December 2012 at 15:19.