thx for all the clarifications!
Apparently there is one place only where one holds the R44 throttle-grip and this is the same spot the governor is actuating against, limited by a slipping clutch.
Thus an R44 governor has to work "against" either too strong a throttle friction setting or too strong a pilot's grip (or both).
Both situations will render the governor effectively "inoperable" as per design!
My assumption what got him is that it was a case of stress induced control-grippitis.
So the governor might well have been working as designed but was overpowered by external force,
which let to RRPM in the 80% range (that is what the pilot quoted to me)
Clearly pilot error, but I'd encourage Robinson to come up with an enhanced "split- throttle grip" design where the pilot's hand normally would grip a section that is non-turning ("pitch only")
and only a small section of the grip's length - say the final two inches compose the actual, twisting throttle function - normally operated by the governor, and undisturbed by the pilots hand.
In case of emergency the pilot's hand would slide forward and overpower the governor. Is that idea feasible? Does such enhancement already exist?
Last edited by Reely340; 1st Jan 2020 at 16:04.