Single or Twin Engine Helicopter?

 
 
There has been conjecture regarding use of single engine helicopters over builtup areas in the UK.
The Uk law states that in the event of a engine failure the aircraft must be able to fly away (in the case of twin engines) or land clear of the public.
Landing clear means what irt says. Landing in a park and not hitting a member of the public is ok.
Ditching in a river is ok but does endanger the crew if no flaots are fitted.
The R44 news copter does not have floats. So can the R44 be used over a builtup area?
 
I've worked from the back seat in the R44 news and other singles and twins shooting news and features and occasionally do freelance work with both news operators in London in their AS355s.
 
The R44 News is a great tool and is particularly suited to flying low and close to make best use of its wider lens. Its low noise level and less dominant form help keep a low profile when flying low which make it good for TV production work out of town.
 
Its relatively low cost is currently impossible to beat on an hourly rate with any other heli/camera configuration and one only needs to make one phone call to buy a complete system, even the gimbal is made by Frank!
 
But its lightweight camera does have its limitations for specific tasks in London where other larger singles or twins with a bigger lenses can deliver better news pictures.
 
 
Three main points.
1/ Singles or twins can be fitted with a gimbal with a more powerful lens which delivers 2 or 3 times the focal length (magnification) of the R44 news. A doubling of focal length has the same effect as flying half the distance from the subject in respect to size of subject on screen.
A R44 news hovering at 1500 feet would result in a shot 4x wider than a twin with the longer lens at 750ft.
2/ Just about every news job I do in London involves using both the max zoom range and max (telephoto) focal length of the lens. A big wide and a big closeup helps to tell the story. The R44 has 44x zoom. Larger gimbals use 66x, 72x, 80x or 84x lenses.
3/ Sometimes we hover for ten minutes within a very limited area to get a clear view of the subject. Move 75 feet left or right and you lose the subject behind a tree or building. In this scenario orbiting is out of the question as we would lose sight of the subject.
 
A single can get a similar angle but has to be at a greater distance then both find a position and be at a height to comply with being able to land clear rule. So nailing the angle for the shot and be in a position to land clear may not be possible all the time.
 
Add ATC height restrictions or low cloud-base and the reliability of getting the aircraft into the position to get the shot is reduced.
 
For scenic wide shots over London at 1500 feet or out in the fields at bunny height no problem, but the R44 news is the third best option over London for news.
 
The majority of major broadcasters in capital cities worldwide are using the bigger gimbal with long lens.
Yes there is no statistical evidence of twin engines being safer. However that is too broad a question, the question is if a twin engine is safer over a builtup area.
There are no statistics of single engine failure of twin engine aircraft over builtup areas.
With nowhere else to go other than on a pointy roof where the helicopter would slide into the street , congested roads or busy parks there is no question in my mind that two engines over London offer the public a slightly greater degree of care than a single.
 
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