SIKORSKY S61N FLT CREW OPERATES WITH THE GUST LOCK STILL ATTACHED.

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FO AND I PREFLTED THE ACFT; COMPLETED THE PRE-START; START AND RUN-UP CHKLISTS. THE AUTO FLT CTL SYS ALONG WITH THE HYD SYS WAS CHKED AND A PWR ASSURANCE CHK WAS COMPLETED. DUE TO CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS A SHORT TEST FLT THEN COMPLETED. EVERYTHING CHKED OUT; SO WE TAXIED TO THE TERMINAL; LOADED OUR PAX AND DEPARTED TO THE OIL RIG. I LANDED THE HELI; HELPED OFFLOAD THE PAX AND COMMENCED A WALKAROUND CHK OF THE ACFT; LOOKING FOR LEAKS OR MISSING PANELS; FEELING FOR UNUSUAL VIBRATIONS OR ANYTHING ELSE OUT OF THE ORDINARY. ALL THIS WAS; AS USUAL; COMPLETED WHILE THE ROTOR WAS STILL TURNING. REFUELING PROCS HAD STARTED AS I CAME AROUND THE PORT SIDE OF THE ACFT STILL LOOKING IT OVER. AFTER FEELING THE TAIL BOOM FOR VIBRATIONS I LOOKED UP AT THE TAIL ROTOR AND NOTICED THAT THE GUST LOCK WAS STILL ATTACHED. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE TAIL ROTOR WAS PERFORMING NORMALLY. WE SHUT DOWN THE ACFT; RETRIEVED A LADDER AND REMOVED THE GUST LOCK. I INSPECTED THE TAIL ROTOR FOR SIGNS OF ANY DAMAGE. THERE WAS NONE; NOT EVEN A SCRATCH ON THE PAINT. I HAD BEEN FLYING THE ACFT FOR 8 DAYS PRIOR THIS AND SINCE THE VIBRATIONS IN THE TAIL ROTOR PEDALS DID NOT CHANGE DURING THE TEST FLT OR THE FLT TO THE RIG AS COMPARED TO ANY OTHER DAY AND SINCE THE VIBRATIONS ON THE TAIL BOOM FELT IDENTICAL TO DAYS PRIOR AND SINCE THE ACFT FLEW EXACTLY LIKE IT HAD BEEN AND SINCE THERE WAS NO DAMAGE SEEN ON THE TAIL ROTOR; NOR DID THE TAIL ROTOR SPIN IN A MANNER INDICATING AN IMBAL; I DECIDED TO LOAD UP THE RETURNING PAX AND DEPARTED. AFTER LNDG WE OFFLOADED THE PAX. I EXPLAINED TO THE 2 AVIATION MAINT TECHNICIANS ASSIGNED TO THE ACFT ALL THAT HAD TRANSPIRED. AFTER THEY INSPECTED THE TAIL ROTOR THEY SAID ALL WAS FINE AND THAT I WAS GOOD TO GO ON MY NEXT FLT. NOW THE TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX IS BEING REPLACED.