Originally Posted by
HeliComparator
Well the point is that helicopters aren't supposed to fall into the sea during an onshore instrument approach. They have sufficient speed to fly happily on one engine until over the runway. Whereas offshore, they have to slow down to below OEI flight speed before landing, whilst at the same time crossing over all sorts of nasty jagged metal bits.
OEI flight is, as we know, the only malfunction the CAA concern themselves with.
Which is just as well because if they contemplated the need to ditch immediately (not that this ever happens ... Ahem!) they would stop us from flying over land in weather where the cloud / fog was on the surface and especially over mountains when the cloudbase was below mountain top height.
Doh, I think I've blown it now...
Yup, cat, pigeons etc
Do I hear that EASA apparently want to exclude Single Engined Helicopters to fly over Hostile Environments?
Doh They want unreliable, underpowered, weak tail rotor aircraft instead in the mountains? A twin Exposed is more than twice as dangerous as a single.
Over obsession with Engine Failure distorts methodologies.
Duplicating Engines might just be a good idea under some extreme circumstances but it is not the magic answer that people want it to be, evidently.
Set realistic and proportionate goals and let designers deliver using their initiative and skill.