I have found that on starting, the blades will start rotating with clutch disengaged. Im putting this down to the clutch belts being tight as it is still very new. Is this normal or should I be getting something done?
POH, "Blades turning within 5 seconds"
On a 600hr Raven 1 they turn very early on as well and the engineers say that this is correct.
New R44's can be a bit difficult to start but settle down within about 70hrs. It's then a case of throttle management during the clutch process to ensure it does not stall as the belts tighten.
I've found 62% engine tach reading by the time the belts are going tight gives a smooth start (POH is 50- 60 with clutch light on) but this has also varied between machines (56 - 63 range) and also if it is the first start of the day or the sixth.
Also recall it was harder to start all engines in Maryland, USA, but this may have been because it was much colder outside ...