torquetalk - that manoeuvre was part of the standard post-maintenance flight test for a Sea King (much bigger than a 169) so there is no reason to expect that it hasn't been done on the 169 for certification purposes to demonstrate sufficient TR authority/control margin.
Thanks Crab. I had assumed that zero speed auto plus pedal turn would not be required for certification. Genuinely suprised it was part of a release to service flight: Some peole have all the fun.