Lift Equation - I found that teaching the aiming point / termination point greatly enhanced my students ability to hit their spot, especially, if their entry point was less than ideal and they needed to maneuver to aim their glide at the aiming point.
eagle 86 - I agree with your first point about having zero (perhaps even a slight rearward) ground speed during a real (unplanned) EOL. I found this concept to be well expressed in Phil Crouchers book, "The Helicopter Pilot's Handbook". I tend to disagree however, with your contention (also, if I remember correctly, held by Mr. Croucher. You're not him are you?) that you should not attempt to extend your glide to reach a better spot to crash.
If my engine goes bang while I’m cruising along at say 2,000' AGL over the woods, and an extended glide will bring you to the soft cushy meadow, while a regular auto will bring me to a stand of timber, I know that my Nr will be at the bottom of the allowable range, and my airspeed will be close to VNEauto until I see a normal sight picture to the meadow.
Perhaps this difference of opinion has to due with the different autorotational characteristics of different helicopters. Most of my experience with modifying autos to get where I want to be is in R22s and R44s. These machines show a marked extension in glide when flown in their published max glide configurations. And the energy stored in the extra airspeed you’re carrying, can be used in the flare to extend even farther while recovering Nr as described in Shawn Coyle’s book, “Cyclic and Collective”.
Of course, part of the equation is crashworthiness. I’m much more willing to go into the woods in the Bell 214 I’m co-piloting in this summer than in an R22.
eagle 86, I'd be interested in your reasons for opposing attempts to extend your glide.