T/R problems
Mainly for TC please ... congrats on a neat, informative and not too technical resume of the dreaded T/R problem. Can I suggest that all new and less experienced ppruners "mark, read, learn and inwardly digest TC's words" ... as my old RAF aerodynamics tutor would say.
But TC, having suffered two total failures, (one T/R drive-shaft shear and one T/R gearbox seizure) can I ask you to note, and as I wrote in my earlier contribution, that simply entering autorotation and closing the throttle (in the Enstrom 28/280 series) does not just REDUCE yaw opposite to the direction of M/R blade rotation ... having accomplished that ... a continued throttle closure produces an INDUCED yaw in the direction of M/R blade rotation as main rotor gearbox frictions take effect and at low speed would result in loss of control to left yaw/spin.
Once in steady state autorotation, my fix has been to use engine power (collective) combined with air speed to allow the nose to hold at the '10 o clock' position in the descent until just before the flare when the procedure you outline should get the machine safely on the ground with little residual run-on speed.
I agree with the axiom ... plenty of study of the principles and plenty of practice offers a significant increase in the chances of coping should the lights go out!
'Twould be good to hear from others who have experienced total T/R failure especially for we guys mostly flying on the bottom rung of light helis.
Dennis K.