Originally Posted by
mechpowi
That was the point I was trying to make. Operating roof mounted throttles in a spinning cockpit is hard, operating Engine On/Off switches is next to impossible, at least if not flying multi crew.
The Bell 222 does not have ‘roof mounted throttles’, nor are there Engine On/Off switches, they are on the collective as shown in this photo. Just where the pilot’s left hand rests in flight.
For clarification of some basic helicopter dynamics (for the non helicopter aviators here), the tail rotor is there to counteract the torque from the main rotor which is trying to turn the fuselage in the opposite direction to the main rotor. In the case of a tail rotor failure you need to reduce or remove that torque by reducing the engine power; as I commented in my first post this can also be done by lowering the collective which is relatively easy and instinctive action. Or, of course, roll off the throttles which are there in your left hand.
There is some compelling indication of failure of a tail rotor pitch link or similar in some of the images in this thread, but also some conjecture which appears based on video with oft seen electronic distortion caused by the recording itself.