Leading Edge,
Thanks for your comments. You are most kind about the aircraft in general, and I don't want this to sound like a snivel, after all, this thread invites all comments about the aircraft. Consider these comments as trying to explain the differences between the S-92's power management and the previous generation.
On the S92, we use the philosophy that the FADEC power limiters take care of limits, and the pilot manages all power by allowing the rotor rpm to droop, and letting the automatic governing manage the power. This is more like First Limit Automation (maybe we needed an acronym??) Thus all max power and OEI fly aways require that the pilot simply adjust collective pitch to cause rotor rpm to droop slightly. I don't think this is a two pilot task (unless one pilot has the eyes and the other the hands!). The FAA agrees, BTW.
The small torque gage reflects the fact that it is not particularly needed, unlike other aircraft, where if you don't obey the limit marked on the gage, you get a chargable overtorque. On the 92, you can't overtorque.
Your comments are quite valid if one carries the old philosophy of needing to have the pilot stay as a gauge-tender, with one eye on the limit and the other on the rest of the world, but we designed the system to free you of that workload.
The French FLI gauge shows the first limit, so you don't have to hunt around the cockpit to judge which is today's limit, this is a real improvement over previous aircraft. But the FLI requires the pilot to use the indicator to juggle the lowest limit, and he gets kicked in the butt if he pulls through that limit.
On the S92, we directly limit the engine at the first limit, cutting out the middle man, so to speak. The displays show the lowest limit in distinct colors and markings, but this is for orientation only. As the limit clock runs out (clearly shown on the displays), the pilot simply shifts to the next limit (if he wants to) using a button on the collective.
In short, our philosophy was to govern the task for the pilot, and then inform him of what was going on. It is actually a full generation ahead of the FLI. With a FLI, the pilot must avoid over torquing, and the gauge is his only cue. That Blue Line is really nice, but why not just connect the Blue Line to the engine, and be assured of limit compliance. That's what S-92 does.
The limiters are smart, too. If the first limit that is governing the engine is insufficient to get you the power you need, we use a concept where the limit is raised automatically. We "blow away" the limits if the rotor droop becomes very great. This allows you to get maximum possible performance from the aircraft (why protect the drive train and allow the aircaft to hit an obstacle?)