I've followed this with interest, and especially appreciate the input of those with good knowledge of the route and the locality.
As with so many PPRuNe discussions there are always the keyboard warriors in love with their own opinion, but I feel many here may not appreciate that the A109E is both very stable and is easily flown with the Sperry helipilot and flight director system. Hands off control is quite usual and texting would hardly be an issue, not like many GA light helicopters: it certainly shouldn't be looked upon as a sign of poor airmanship by the pilot. Far rather, it should be seen as a sign that Peter was proactively seeking first hand information to add to his decision making ability.
I have seen nothing in the report(s) to date to indicate the speed of the helicopter, which is possibly nearly as important as the height when considering the ability to avoid obstacles. Because the Power is capable of 160kias cruise doesn't mean that Peter was not using good airmanship and flying at a slower speed, e.g. vMin? Just curious to know if there has been any reporting of plotted speeds.