Originally Posted by
johni
Basically the AW189 was the wrong choice of aircraft. ...
Reasons?
- Modern powerful aircraft
- Right size and capability (AW139 already proved too small)
- Glass cockpit and NVG compatability
- Half a chance of being ready in time (unlike competitors)
- Government loved the idea that production of the SAR variant could be British
OK, some issues with the last one. But what else was there?
(BIH aircraft NOT British.)
Originally Posted by
johni
Bristow have stopped using for oil and gas ...
Let's look at the oil price. What's happening there? Well, it's just over a third of what it was two years ago and not expected to recover any time soon. So what do you expect for new helicopter types introduced recently? Yes, that's right, nobody is desperate to keep them in the air. Looking back to 2004 when the S-92 and EC225 were introduced, the oil price was rising and kept rising and they'd pay for anything that could fly.