Negative Stick Gradient is a problem only for certification standards and does not impose a handling problem for the Pilot.
Other aircraft have had the same kind of issues as the S-76....notably my favorite helicopter the Boeing-Vertol CH-47 beginning with the A Model and going right on up through later MK's.
A Test Flight Report resulting from the installation of Non-Metal Blades states the following:
Control Positions in Trimmed Forward Flight
!6. Trim control positions were evaluated in conjunction with level flight performance tests at the conditions listed in table 1, using the test techniques described inappendix D. All evatuaticns were conducted with pitch stability augmentation sVstem (PSAS) in the AUTO mode. A representative plot of control positions versus airspeed is included as figu1re 6, appendix E. The longitudinal control position gradient was not conventional, in that increased aft control position was required to trim at increased airspeed; however, this was not readily apparent to the pilot and therefore was not objectionable. Both lateral and directionali control trim changes were minimal (less than 314 inch) throughout the airspeed range evaluated. The pitch attitude change with airspeed was linear and varied from 2 degrees nose-up at 52 KCAS to 6 degrees nose-down at 150 KCAS, and provided the pilot with adequate cues to airspeed variations. The trim control position characteristics of theCH47C were essentially the same as the CH-47C with metal blades and are satis- factory.