Teaching and Examining on the Rotorway Helicopter Types

Now a fully licenced Rotorway pilot, I have started doing examining and some instruction on the types of Rotorway (162F and Exec 90). As ever you learn far more on the job than you do when you are training.
It seems to me that the real reason the Rotorway has a bad reputation is not that there is anything wrong with the machine, but merely that it is underpowered. My first test was on a 162F Rotorway based in the South of England. The pilot was relatively experienced, the day cool and the wind light. We had a excellent flight in the Hampshire area with no problems, and the student passed without issue.
The next time I flew one of the Rotorways I was teaching. It was again a 162F and one that is known as being a ‘good one’ with a relatively powerful engine. The weather was cool, but there was a wind of 18 knots. Now for most helicopters 18 knots of wind is going to be worth looking at, but not an intrinstic problem. However, with the Rotorway, even the more powerful types, you do not want to turn downwind in such a wind.
We had full fuel and were close to the all-up-weight of the machine. I took off, with a slight cross wind, and immediately lost RPM. I managed to turn into wind, but could not get the RPM back up. This was partly because I had the collective too high, but being near to the ground I found it hard to bring it down, even though I knew theoretically I was over-pitching and hence needed to bring down the collective before I could bring up the RPM. I was also losing tail rotor authority and hence pedal usage. It took several landings and take-offs, and even a shut down, before I managed to resolve the problem, which was initiated by my own cack-handedness, but nonetheless presaged a potentially bigger problem.
However, never call me a quick learner. I then took off into the local area for a flight. Fine in itself but the nicest take-off run without any trees was downwind, and yes, I was indeed stupid enough to take-off down wind. Thanks to the relatively airflow, the fact that this was quite a powerful 162F and that we had the space I did not put the nose into the ground. But wiser consideration after the event made me realise I would have been much better off taking off into wind, even given the presence of trees and wires.
I am told that flying the Rotorway makes you a better pilot and I am starting to see why.