Sorry Jim I forgot to make that clear. I was trying not to get too complicated for PBAGGI whose sole focus seems to be on those two certification classes which of course he is perfectly entitled to do as that's his area of expertise. To assert that nobody can operate other than i.a.w. Cat A was the reason I picked up my pen. As an operator with some experience of operations in other continents I wanted to correct this error.
We have been over the PC1 PC2 and Cat A/B business many times so I don't want to get into that argument but wish merely to convey the reality of offshore operations which some imagine are constrained by performance considerations alone. We wouldn't have much customer satisfaction if that were the case. You can assert that it shouldn't be that way and one day maybe it won't be that way but for the time being it is what it is - the wild west of helicopter ops.
To give you an idea of how far we have come I came across my old S61 notebook from the mid 70's in the North Sea. The section of my notes devoted to current Special Flying Staff Instructions contained details of one entitled 'Backing On To Rigs At Night'. We were instructed (Bristows by the way) not to do this any more but confine such activities to daylight only.
G.