Nice try, Jeff, but you really know very little about civilian helicopters and how they're certified
Oh? Thanks for the info. I'll call my advisor at the FAA today and have them tear up the 50+ 8110-3s I've either approved or recommended approval on this year on 9 different types of both Part 27 and 29 made by 5 different OEMs. While I'm at it I'll have them revoke my DER status and pass it on to you since you're more qualified then I.
Perhaps your issue with FADECs is your rather simplistic and inappropriate take on workload?
But I cannot imagine that flying a 407 with FADEC is any less complicated or tiring or fatiguing (or different) than a 206L-4.
Workload has to do with spare capacity to accomplish other task. A high workload can result in being fatigued or tired but being fatigued or tired is not neccessarily an indication of high workload. That said I've flown both the 407 and the 206L-4 and yes the FADEC does decrease workload.
I see you say '...I cannot imagine...' implying that you have neither flown the 407 nor a helicopter with either a EEC or a FADEC. Should you not withhold judgement until you have? At least that's what professional pilot would do. Especially one who knew as much about certification as you. I could be wrong and will defer to you since you know more about civil cert than I do but I was always taught that as the evaluation pilot you should keep an open mind about these things and let the data tell you which decision to make. But unlike you I've spent a lot of time in both configurations, big and small, and have conducted flight test and operations in both configurations, and prefer the complicated for the sake of complication EEC/FADEC to the uncomplicated hydro-mechanical.
FADEC is complication for the sake of complication in a single-engine helicopter. Dual-FADEC is simply ridiculous, expensive overkill.
I think it's you not Bell who is sooo 53 years ago.
P.S. Actually, Frankie *did* hit the targets with the R-66.
Yes he did. But at the time of your post he hadn't completed flight test, hadn't certified and hadn't delivered his first aircraft therefore you didn't know that, did you? You took his word for it.