When flying a single engine helicopter IFR, do you have higher minimums.  The higher minimums for a possible auto rotation?

What do IFR pilots in HAA do for an alternate due to speed and fuel of helicopters? The alternate airport is not far enough away to have different weather than your primary airport, and we can't carry fuel to fly another hour past our destination.  Most of the time.

Thank You

Don't typically fly in low enough weather to ever actually use an alternate. For the reasons you mentioned.

The alternate is primarily a planning/regulatory exercise. Many times it's just enroute weather that requires the IFR capability, not at the destination.

The comment about doing an auto has no relevance to ifr flight. Not part of any weather/minimums equation. At my last base we would file for the gps approach to the hospital. Airport 6 miles away had two ils approaches. That was our alters.  Long flight presented issues when going to pick up patient. Fuel was always an issue. 

Ref auto, he's asking about a single engine IFR scenario.

I don't know of anybody, certainly nobody in civilian HEMS, doing that.

https://haloflight.org/halo-flight-signs-purchase-agreement-for-ifr-configured-bell-407gxi/

Interesting. Not familiar with the operation. "Non-profit Charitable organization"...are they a part 135 operator?

That story is from 2020. Seems like IFR 407s would be more common after two years in the field?

Just because we  have better engines does not mean that you still don't have to have forced landing criteria.  IE- auto rotation.

When you have a twin and have a engine failure, you can go around, fly to a spot, etc.  When your in a single engine aircraft you don't have that option. 

Remember, just because you, can does not mean you should.

SE airplanes (piston and turbine and a lot more piston than turbine) have been flying IFR regulary for decades. And on actual IMC IFR days the odds of an airplane finding a suitable place to land after an IMC engine failure arent any better than a helicopter I wouldnt think. 

Is more difficult than FW SPIFR SE, mainly because planes have more stability, and have less task saturation.

you don't hand fly in IMC so stability not a factor.

you don't hand fly in IMC so stability not a factor.

At least not if you have a choice.

Your checkride, you have to be able to demonstrate that you can hand fly an approach. Also, you should never divert your attention far enough away from the controls to trust the auto pilot/SAS/SCAS. Autopilots can and do fail. I had to hand fly 2 hours IFR without the auto pilot working. 

Commercially?

I have a lot of military time single engine IFR, we did not have any other minimums, though some adopted higher minimums on their own most did not.  I only recall one engine failure, they put it San Francisco Bay, a comedy of errors if I recall.  Anyway I have time as SPIFR in a S76, Part 135, and there are few special rules for helicopters, other than reduced visibilities and other minimums.

Do your autorotation at minimum rate of descent, IF you breakout then you have better choices.  Or just stay in bed.