Time life means if you don't change everything that moves, other than engine, well before it wears out, it could kill you. Time life also means it continuously becomes young again, regardless of total hours on the magnesium frame. Also it has been in the Army inventory long enough that design flaws have been corrected.

Commercial helicopters, to be economically viable, have to be doing work that can't actually or legally be done with airplanes. Time life is expensive.

contactflying wrote:Time life means if you don't change everything that moves, other than engine, well before it wears out, it could kill you. Time life also means it continuously becomes young again, regardless of total hours on the magnesium frame. Also it has been in the Army inventory long enough that design flaws have been corrected.

Commercial helicopters, to be economically viable, have to be doing work that can't actually or legally be done with airplanes. Time life is expensive.

I need to know where you are coming from. Don’t understand exactly what we are talking about! My apologies.

Again, I was taught simplification of broad ideas doesn’t work in aviation. I worked under Marine One’s Chief Mechanic, who maintained it (each version) for several Presidents. Strarting with President Johnson. Retired E8 now. The more I turned wrenches with him, the more I understood, there was no back channel to success.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_One

When was the last time you approved a helo to airworthy condition? Or looked at a TCDS, Conditions for Continued Airworthiness, AD’s, SBs, or a service manual to a helo? Rotorwing airworthiness is not that simple.

I’m looking for something with two seats and is easy to maintain with one person. The Robisons may be that.

I just flew them. I was just saying it is safe that helicopter moving parts are changed regularly, and expensive. I was brave or crazy enough to fly a lot of junk airplanes. Not many moving parts. Helicopters, not maintained by mechanics with your kind of experience scared me off. Army helicopter fine, civilian junk airplane fine, civilian helicopter no.

contactflying wrote:I just flew them. I was just saying it is safe that helicopter moving parts are changed regularly, and expensive. I was brave or crazy enough to fly a lot of junk airplanes. Not many moving parts. Helicopters, not maintained by mechanics with your kind of experience scared me off. Army helicopter fine, civilian junk airplane fine, civilian helicopter no.

Please, I’m looking for reliable advice, not esoteric assumptions from the super elites.

If civilians and their helicopters make you uncomfortable then, start another thread about the virtues of military careers in aviation.

“NW helos has a nice OH58 for $275K. E-AB. I could come up with the 5. Hahahaha. $4 kerosene at 28gph or $8 AVGAS at 14. Same thing. Hang around me, I can justify anything eventually.”

Just think of all the money you’ll save by not buying a Citation!

jrc111 wrote:“NW helos has a nice OH58 for $275K. E-AB. I could come up with the 5. Hahahaha. $4 kerosene at 28gph or $8 AVGAS at 14. Same thing. Hang around me, I can justify anything eventually.”

Just think of all the money you’ll save by not buying a Citation!

Can’t land a Citation in a lake more than once! Gets expensive. ha ha.

Remarkably have a little free time today. The bills are paid, the 8GCBC is flying like a freaking dream and completely airworthy! Just need to pack a few things and close up the hangar in few more weeks.

Literally the entire aviation community that I know of advises to get the R44. So today I continue training in an R44. A very nice gentleman allowed me to see the final assembly hangar at Robinson Helicopters last afternoon (he’s a member here too). I recommend touring the factory to anyone. Impressive, clean and organized to say the least. 13,000 helicopters have been manufactured and through those hangar doors.

The factory final assembly hangar allows a peak into the different models. Very much stoked at the quality.

12:00 noon my Robinson R44 lesson starts. Checking WX, NOTAMS etc... on Garmin Pilot.

Interesting thread, having also gone down that path. You’ll find the R44 an easy transition and a lot more stable and more forgiving in the auto. Much more power margin and flexibility over the R22 and would be my pick for a personal ship. Just a shame about the 12 yearly overhaul makes them a pretty spendy private proposition.

NZMaule wrote:Interesting thread, having also gone down that path. You’ll find the R44 an easy transition and a lot more stable and more forgiving in the auto. Much more power margin and flexibility over the R22 and would be my pick for a personal ship. Just a shame about the 12 yearly overhaul makes them a pretty spendy private proposition.

Hydraulics make the Robinson R44 unbelievably easy to fly. Amazingly quite and comfortable.

We did a few autorotations at lunch time today. The R44 flys like a freaking glider with no power! Very safe (my limited knowledge so far). My instructor landed on a dime from about a mile out, full autorotation to the ground, split needles to the LZ. Hover autos seem OK too, no issues I could see or feel.

I hope I’m smart enough to get my add on in a reasonable amount of time in Oregon! Will be studying to perform maintenance concurrently. Have a few friends that are helo mechanics. Many are delivered to Hawaii each year. Many field overhauls too.