Overpitched,
Jimmy Viner, the first Sikorsky Chief Pilot, and a legend to early helo drivers, would agree with your assessment! A few years back, I heard him tell the latest crop of Sikorsky Test pilots this story (in his thick Russian accent):
"I vas performing airspeed bomb flight in R-4. Ve will fly vith this device swinging below the helicopter by a long cable. I must take off vertically and not drag it on de ground. It vas hot that day, and the machine had almost no hover OGE. I vas working collectif, RPM vas drooping, pedal vas on the stops. And the engineer vas leaning out his door shouting somting about de bomb hitting de fence. He vas vorried about his vondeful instrument! I am struggling to keep from falling, he is shouting "De bomb, Jimmy, de bomb!" and I can't hear myself tink!
Ven I get in a nice climb, and I know that I will live at least a few more minutes, I turn to him and I gif him lecture -
"Younga Man, Let me tell you my priorities! First, F**k de bomb! OK, got that? Second, F**K de helicopter! Ok, got that? Last, F**K you! Got that?"
I haf no more problems with THAT engineer!"