From a technical point of view i will agree with B73 about the R22 engine and i will add....
At sea level the engine is capable of producing more power than the transmission and rotor system can safely handle, and to ensure maximum engine and transmission life the O360 must be de-rated, or operated at less than maximum power. As the air becomes thinner with increasing altitude, engine performance decreases, and the pilot can open the throttle to compensate. By derating the engine at sea level, the R22 achieves acceptable high-altitude performance without use of supercharging or turbocharging, thus saving weight and lowering cost.
the f.i. would add some weight to the 22 and as B73 said being such a light aircraft its not beneficial. The 44 is a different story been bigger with reasonable T.T.O.M for its size.
My personal opinion(strech the personal bit) flying robos for a few years is that the possibility of having a f.i R22 is great but i dont believe it will ever happen. Bear in mind Frank's original idea.....a cheap,light utility helicopter for everybody.
It would be nice to see though a fresh approach to a hugely successful company and with the Raven II outselling everything else out there why not do something similar with the 22....the debate is open
H-M