VF
VF - I know, I know. Just playing with you
But I am not, it's most tiresome I am pretty much right over your continual cynicism. If you wish to be critical for god's sake quantify it. It is well known that AS 350's have been biting the dust and killing people with regular monotony of late. This could be assumed as not of pilot error mostly as they are crewed by either professional or high time pilots. By contrast R22's by and large are exposed to ab initio pilots of the highest number of any type.
Many of their other statistics have been because of overload, over flying of hours and also because of many of my brethren (Pilots who have got into flying them mustering without any degree of respect, knowledge or finesse of flight control and general aviation machine tolerances, I.E. they aint a pilots backside mate) who take liberties with the controls any flying machines is clearly not designed for.
VF you would know that from your background in OZ. If you don't then you are exceedingly unobservant. I suggest your attitude is not making it easier at all for those who have to fly these machines day in day out, so Pull your bloody head in please and do some research. Your two incidents don't come within a bull's roar of comparing with 39 times onto the ground without scratching any of those of which only three were in R22's of mine, if you want some real experience come see me.
Crab.
are just a harsh cyclic movement away from an in-flight break up.
I hear what you are saying but as per the above, these gadgets have probably amassed well more than 3 million flight hours under the mustering regime. It would be absolutely extraordinary for the, shall I say those with less finesse to have not proven that conclusively by now. However having said that if one were to say, be flying along without the cyclic bias (lateral trim) not engaged and let the cyclic go then maybe it is possible to do just that. The untrimmed cyclic will sure flick quickly if let go.
As in both cases recently highlighted, it would be very hard to imagine an experienced F/W pilot to fly along in an untrimmed state once established in cruise, say they then get a fright with the indication of the Carby air temp - let go the wheel - and be in that predicament.
Despite the numerous attempts by my brethren and others to over control to the point of break up - perhaps it is possible. I would be interested to hear what the house of Robinson did with the test flying regimes in that area.
But, as we all know it is certainly not a good idea to be too preconceived with ideas about any matters in aviation I think you will agree.
I have no problems admitting to over controlling to the point of machine shudder i
n the past, but I don't jerk controls unlike one of my colleagues who came home one day with a mast on a '47 broken one third the way around under the clamps of the no bar kit.. So you could well be right.
all the best tet