Shy as anyone knows the Vne of the 76 was bogus.....as it was set primarily on the limitations of the PBA actuator or whatever it was called and the fact Sikorsky did not want to spend a lot more time and money getting another ten knots or so for certification pruposes.
Perhaps Nick Lappos can explain that to us again....as he has done a few times over the year.
Just as in the S-58T....with a bit of finesse....one can overtake a Puma in the old T-Bird given a chance.
The radio chat enroute to the Ekofisk one morning was...."I say chappie....is that not an S-58T?" ....as I pulled by with about a ten knot advantage....to which I replied...."Nope.....it is a 58GT!"
One could say real Vne is when the nose begins to pitch up and roll left due to blade stall in left turning rotor systems.
