Are we making this too difficult? To me it is simple…do as the Flight Manual says. Anything else and somebody will nail your sensitive parts to the floor if there is an accident/incident, in flight or whilst doing the functional check.
As a Check Pilot I want to know that the candidate can fly for a given period of time without hydraulics (how long depends on the theatre of operations). I have known some ‘slightly built‘ pilots unable to fly certain AS 350 variants, as well as the SA 315B at max pitch, without hydraulics and I have assisted those individuals to find a less demanding machine.
The report on the New York A-star hydraulic failure highlights how serious this issue really is.