Bob,
The FAA RFM is the same as the EASA one if you believe the FAA TCDS H9EU.
The catch here is the Limitations Section in the
B3 RFM.
Why? Obviously someone knows but that may be the hard part.
EASA land is not much different to FAA land.
Contrary to what many perceive you can actually leave the aircraft when it is running
if not overridden by other documents depending on their weight and Ops Manual etc etc.
(d) An operator shall not permit a helicopter rotor to be turned under power, for the purpose of flight,
without a qualified pilot at the controls
The real reason for this statement and definition thanks to the Swedes back in 2005. Maybe it gets lost in translation with some folks.
Reason(s) for proposed text/comment:
The proposal is an adjustment to the new ICAO Annex 6, Part III and to an applied practice among operators in most countries.
The Swedish Civil Aviation Authority has announced to JAA that we exempt the Swedish operators from the current rule.
There are situations when a pilot has to leave the controls with the rotor spinning for safety reasons or for practical reasons.
With this cognizance we believe it is better to allow pilots to leave the aircrafts while the rotor is spinning provided that the operator
in the Operations Manual has stated the special conditions that should be met and provided that it is not inappropriate because of
the construction of the helicopter. It is better that this is done legally and under stated conditions than illegal and out of control.
Maybe there is something on the B3 that comes under "inappropriate because of the construction of the helicopter"?
I am no stranger to this practice myself, yet maybe more aware of the basis.