In determining the relative safety of the R-22 as compared to say the Hughes 300 series you should concentrate on one thing and one thing only and that is loss of control. I have my theory as to what the root cause is and Frank Robinson has his theory. My theory deals with the rotorhead design and Frank’s theories deal with pilot error. In either case it is the rotorhead design and its’ tendency to flap excessively no matter what induced the flapping.
In order to not get into this excessive flapping scenario the pilot is highly restricted in what he can do. I know that many Robbie drivers will say that the so-called (“Recommendations”) are just that and that with care you can ignore them. However if something happens and the pilot gets caught between a rock and a hard spot (read Earth) it will always be labeled pilot error.
