Yes they can. There are no hydraulic assists between the stick and the the rotor head, or between pedals and rudder - straight mechanical linkage. The only ele

Yes they can. There are no hydraulic assists between the stick and the the rotor head, or between pedals and rudder - straight mechanical linkage. The only electric (or in some cases pneumatic) assist is the pitch trim. In event of failure that would usually stay in the same place, but in the worst case where it moves to one end of the spectrum you can absolutely control the aircraft against it (your arm just gets a bit tired after a while maintaining the pressure).