IS,
Did you catch the reaction by the North Sea folks to the mere mention of a Sikorksky/PHI Automated Approach Procedure that has been Certified by the FAA?
The immediate reaction was "won't work".
That is your short answer to your long question.
Landing a Jet weighing several hundred thousand pounds carrying several hundred passengers, moving at 130-140 knots onto a narrow strip of concrete without seeing the ground is seen as far simpler than developing procedures to bring a helicopter to a stabilized airspeed and height at a particular point over open water or over a runway ashore.
The Helicopter Industry is too short sighted and handicapped by a mindset that starts off finding ways "not" to be able do do something that is so innovative.
The technology exists.....making it happen is the impossible bit.
The old Sperry Helipilot system with Flight Director and a RadAlt would do an ILS Approach down to a minimum height of 50 feet AGL.....level the aircraft and track the Localizer. Yet we were limited to 200 feet DH. No effort was ever made to gain certification for lower than that by any Operator I ever flew for.
The Helicopter Industry operates to limitations imposed by their Purse....not the aircraft equipment.
Last edited by SASless; 19th Sep 2013 at 12:15.