Originally Posted by
Ascend Charlie
As Fareast says, the check is done before engine start. The controls are pretty stiff, with no hydraulics, and in some machines the controls won't move at all without hydraulics. Once the rotors are turning, a full pedal check would spin the aircraft on the ground and perhaps damage the tail boom attachments; full cyclic would hit the stops and perhaps chop off the tail; full collective sees you leap into the air.
Simple answer: no.
Except for aircraft equipped with an electric hydraulic pump e.g AW 139.
Simple anwer maybe!!!
BO 105 suffered a control restriction when the hydraulic pack access door hold open rod became unlatched and the end fell into the bellcranks at deck level.
Gazelle suffered an full and immoveable jam in aft cyclic fortunately on the ground. Cause was mismanufactured friction discs at the base of the pilots cyclic.
Interestingly by it's nature this defect could be dormant. It occurred on a military Gazelle in the days when they didn't talk to anybody. So as no civil AD was ever issued
the fault could still be waiting to bite somebody.