Funny you should mention being taught manual rpm control.
I only ever done one mini circuit with the govenor off during my instruction to simulate a govenor failure. However, on my PPL flight test as we left our confined area to fly back to the airfield my examiner switched off the govenor and announced 'govenor failure'. Initially I didn't find this too bad, straight and level, then decending back past the tower towards the hangar starting to get busy keeping the needles in the green. Then this is what he made me do, all with the govenor off:-
- Come to a 3 foot hover in front of the hangar
- Maintain a 3 foot hover while reducing throttle and therefore RRPM to 90% without decending and without pulling more than 24 inches
- Sit there at a 3foot hover with the RRPM horn blaring away in my ear for what felt like forever, but was probably only 10 seconds
- Bring the RRPM back up to the green without decending and without pulling more than 24 inches
Once stabilised he then switched the govenor back on and I was allowed to land and shut down.
I reckon I sweated more in those few minutes than I'd ever done in all of my flying.
Thankfully I passed, but what a lesson that was.
Cheers ET