I don't have a lot of R44 time - maybe 50 hours on the older types (Astro, Raven I) but I did get to fly a Raven across the US a couple years ago with a very experienced pilot in the co-joe seat. Never did it occur to me to apply any cyclic friction at all - it just didn't seem necessary - and we're talking 10-12 hours per day over two days, over widely varying terrain and wx conditions.
Maybe that was a particularly well-balanced ship?
Dave Blevins
USA