Dry wretched thunder "This very public thread is creating a monster for the guys in the back. Its getting to the stage after reading it that the pax wont be thinking is this SP safe, but can the pilots actually fly it !!"
Would the pax be happy to go in an airliner which is fully automated and carries no pilots?
I didn't think so, even though this technology is do-able right now.
No doubt the pax would be far less keen on a fully-automated pilotless helicopter. This will never be possible in the offshore environment, due to the huge number of variables and unpredictabilities.
Very rarely pilots make mistakes which coincide with other factors (the holes in the swiss cheese line up) and there are tragic consequences.
The best protection against human error in difficult weather is a really, really good autopilot which is used to maximum effect by pilots who are well trained in its use and can monitor it intelligently, only taking over manually if necessary.
Colleagues who have flown both the S92 and the EC225 almost universally agree that the EC225 has the more capable autopilot. It "protects the flight envelope" (keeps everyone safe) to a very high standard.
Having flown various types over the years and seen the advances in automation, its my belief that you need the best autopilot possible, along with some of the other improvements being suggested. I'm one of the many pilots who are open to the balanced views coming from some pax.