Cabby - Some of your posts cause my jaw to drop!
40 Odd has a good point, there's an excellent training facility, owned by a different organisation, so NPAS would have to pay . . . which probably causes a problem! This is despite a number of forces/ASUs having written business cases some years ago to show that the cost of sending pilots to complete instrument and emergency training, on a decent simulator, paid for itself in reduced aircraft training hours as well as operational downtime. In addition, significantly better and more realistic training was achieved than can generally be accomplished in the real thing, certainly for the more obscure malfunctions.
On the subject of aircraft types & down-to-ground autos - in many years of flying twin engined helos, I've
NEVER heard of any organisation mad enough to risk taking a twin engined helo down to the ground in full auto - the risks of doing it on a regular basis are astronomical. That's the whole point of a twin engined machine anyway - the second engine just takes you to the scene of a possibly more stressful landing than usual! If you fly twins for long enough, you have two modes - the twin mode & the OEI mode. The latter is the same as flying a single, i.e. you're always keeping an eye out for a place to land in extremis. The important thing is to realise the difference between modes and to be able to switch
immediately after losing the first engine.
The more experienced a pilot becomes on twins, the greater the need to look in the mirror & remind themselves that they only fly a single with the safety net of a spare engine - it's a reminder that, if forgotten, could prove fatal, I'd suggest.
Another problem with down-to-ground autos in a twin is that the rotor systems are optimised, by design, for
powered flight, which generally results in a more lively head (certainly in more modern designs) & requires very careful Nr management in auto. Practising autos, therefore, comes with a very high risk of overspeeding the head, amongst other problems - hence owners of all such types NOT practising real autos.
Singles are designed to have a rotor system that acts as the second engine in a twin - i.e. some element of control while you land in more stressful circumstances. To offset the increased stress, manufacturers design a head that's generally a little easier to control in auto.
I'd suggest you need to polish your height estimation skills if you think Police are foolish enough to grub around @ 5/600' by day/night. There always remains a need to consider the vast majority of the population, who are not lost or committing mischief, and let them get on with their lives while trying to police the minority, whilst making a horrible noise (to many ears!). In addition, the cameras often work better with a bit more height.