Originally Posted by
lomapaseo
I take it that the word in the press "ballast" applies to more than just dead-weight balance but also covers the need to balance drag effects within the safe operational capabilities of the takeoff and flight.
I suspect that the pylon is structurally sound (no large rotor seizure effects) and that many of the tubes and wires will not be needed and just be discarded/capped. The complete pylon might be replaced after the ferry flight
I think the main issue is wing flutter. Missing (part of) an engine will significantly change the eigenfrequencies of the wing and could lead to all sorts of nasty bending and torsion problems in flight.
The CoG issue can be compensated for with fuel and ballast and the missing drag should be well compensated for by the missing thrust.