I think what the OP was getting at was the criticality and reliability of anti torque tail rotors, as opposed to twin lifting rotors, and is similar to a question I posed on another thread in the light of the Leicester crash.
As a fixed wing pilot, can I ask; how do helicopter pilots inspect the tail rotor and its drive mechanism on the walk around? Are there inspection doors along the tail boom to enable inspection of every shaft joint? I don’t recall seeing any in the helis we used to use for TV work. (Bolkow 105, Augusta 109, Twin Squirrel).
Given that the tail rotor seems to be so critical, why is there only one?. Would it not be safer if there were two separately driven tail rotors, or would that be overkill?
(By ‘tail rotor’, I am referring to the small anti torque yaw control unit fitted to a tail boom on conventional helicopters which have a single lifting rotor.)