Originally Posted by
drakkar
On the EC135 family, there are several layers of SAS help.
The first is Yaw SAS, it just dampers the yaw
The second is Yaw + pitch and roll, P/R, it's better and you may leave the cyclic some seconds to grab something.
The third is Yaw + P/R + Pitch damper which will authorize you to perform IFR dual pilots.
On top of this the APM 2000 which is a 3 axis auto pilot with upper modes, HDG, IAS, maintaining altitude on the pitch mode but with some safety features if the collective is not high enough.
Now, flying above the sea by CAVOK without SAS is OK, it's like a squirrel, by bad weather conditions, you will find the cost of the APM 2000 secondary compared to the huge safety brought.
The T3H, for Helionix, will be delivered next year and is a 4 axis autopilot.
Drakkar
I have not seen or even flown any 135 with just YAW SAS, i think P/R SAS is just standard equipment.
In my opinion, the difference with or without pitch damper is not remarkable in normal flight operation.
skadi