... 139 ... ... Have these issues been designed out of the 189?
I have never been in a 139. What little I have heard about them has made me suspicious about their SAR capability.That conversations about the 139 in the SAR role tend to be hushed one-to-ones in quiet corners does nothing to instill confidence.
You mention: lighting and some kind of problem with over-water ops at night.
I hear: very limited space, generally poor role eqpt, missing tail rotors and 20+ fatalities.
What I am hearing about the 189 is that it has a basic family resemblance, 139 door(s?), a lot more space, role equipment similar to the S-92, oodles of control power, big-boy engines and transmission, and lots of new bits and bobs.
I am generally happy with the story so far. I am keen to know more though, and particularly about the reported SAR Prototype which one might expect to have done a few hours by now.
I am, however, somewhat amused by part of the Bristow website that mentions capacity for "additional standing persons". Perhaps the extinction of Homo Floresiensis was prematurely reported.