Originally Posted by
DOUBLE BOGEY
... advocating that we follow the limits in the Flight Manual and stop making claims beyond those limits.....is digging a hole then I will gladly dig.
Since I didn't see anyone advocating not following the Flight Manual ... I see just fine, thanks.
Example:
If you bop on over to the V-22 discussion thread, and the back and forth about VRS, someone posted a link to the test flying done by test pilots, at altitude, who discovered a few things about how the bird reacts to VRS. That isn't something that goes into the flight manual "hey, go do this!" but it is useful information to understand the limits of a given airframe and a further admonition to do as the Flight Manual says, which is avoid to VRS. There is no harm in posting that.
Likewise, what John commented on regarding about where the engineers estimated the point of no return being for a helicopter he did some test flights on, I see that as further caution to make damned sure one doesn't even approach that region of Nr, but instead keep the Nr in the green.
With the various points made on how dire it is to reach that point of no return, I suppose the Flight Manual could include a memory item:
If Nr is now stalled, recite out loud as follows:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name ...
But the point is not to get there.
Control Nr. Fly the aircraft.