My problem with being an airline passenger is I have absolutely no control over the flight.... being pilot in charge of my car, in statistically greater danger on country roads, I have every confidence in the driver! Why would any sane person ride a motorcycle? So much for statistical analysis of risk informing reasonable choice of transport.
It was always interesting and involving to listen into cockpit RT on some airlines. At least you knew what was going on. Could this be possible on a heli? The more one understands what is actually happening, usually the better one can put away irrational fear and become involved with the flight.
One other question; do the NS oil rig workers get paid for travel time? If the journey took 12 hours on a boat, relative to 2 hours by Super Puma, perhaps a financial incentive might overcome reluctance to board the chopper.