any of you ever thought about flying a helicopter?

[rbridges]

I definitely won't be doing it, but I was looking at some of the ones for sale on barnstormers.  They look like they'd be fun, and some are in the vintage mooney price range.  I imagine a couple of you guys probably have a license to fly one, but just wondering if anyone here has owned one and what they thought about it.

[jbs007]

I don't have much experience with helos smaller than a Bell 206 (jetranger), but I don't think I'd want to get involved.  Way too much maintenance issues.  Also, if you have ever felt rusty flying your Mooney after a 1-2 month dryspell, thats how you will feel after a week of not flying the helo.  Helos are fun, but I am curious what the operational cost looks like on those little guys.

Maybe my helo flying experience has been spoiled, but if I was going to go get a "just for fun" aircraft, it would probably be a STOL open cockpit tail dragger.  The wings will stay on the aircraft and it will land in almost as many places as you would take a little helicopter. 

I know someone who owns/flies private helicopters and I'll talk to them.  Any questions you would have inparticular?

[HopePilot]

If something isn't safe enough to have vintage fly-ins, I'm not interested.

[rbridges]

Quote: jbs007

I don't have much experience with helos smaller than a Bell 206 (jetranger), but I don't think I'd want to get involved.  Way too much maintenance issues.  Also, if you have ever felt rusty flying your Mooney after a 1-2 month dryspell, thats how you will feel after a week of not flying the helo.  Helos are fun, but I am curious what the operational cost looks like on those little guys.

Maybe my helo flying experience has been spoiled, but if I was going to go get a "just for fun" aircraft, it would probably be a STOL open cockpit tail dragger.  The wings will stay on the aircraft and it will land in almost as many places as you would take a little helicopter. 

I know someone who owns/flies private helicopters and I'll talk to them.  Any questions you would have inparticular?

[alex]

Quote: rbridges

I definitely won't be doing it, but I was looking at some of the ones for sale on barnstormers.  They look like they'd be fun, and some are in the vintage mooney price range.  I imagine a couple of you guys probably have a license to fly one, but just wondering if anyone here has owned one and what they thought about it.

[MooneyMitch]

any of you ever thought about flying a helicopter?  No.

[wrbix]

Helicopters can't really fly - they're simply so ugly, they're rejected by the Earth.

[MooneyMitch]

Quote: wrbix

Helicopters can't really fly - they're simply so ugly, they're rejected by the Earth.

[WardHolbrook]

Q. What's the difference between a helicopter pilot and a fixed-wing pilot?

A. Fixed-wing pilots break ground and fly into the wind. Helicopter pilots break wind and fly into the ground.

[carusoam]

There are a couple of Robinsons in the hangar next to me.  They have training just about every day for the last decade.

 

One guy across the way used an R44 for traveling with his family.  

 

Overall, not as fast as a mooney...

 

One of these days I'll take a lesson.

-a-

[MooneyMitch]

Quote: WardHolbrook

Q. What's the difference between a helicopter pilot and a fixed-wing pilot?

A. Fixed-wing pilots break ground and fly into the wind. Helicopter pilots break wind and fly into the ground.

[aerobat95]

It funny that this question came up.....I was in Amarillo this weekend and was driving by the Bell Helicopter Factory and thought to myself I wouldn't mind knowing how to fly one of those.....maybe someday.

[garytex]

A ranching friend of mine has one, a R-22.  He ranches on two slightly discontiguous places, one 137,000 acres, the other a leased pasture of 250,000 acres, and his helicopter is a real force multiplier for him.  It shaves 2 to 4 hours off his travel time a day.  He figures it costs about $150/hr to fly, gills guts and feathers.  It is also a real hoot to fly around in.  Even if you have driven a place for many years, or flown low in a fixed wing several times, the helo gives a perspective not available any other way.  Linkages and interconnections about habitat, game movement and migration, why that spot is a good spot to see whatever, and why another spot stinks, it all lays out for one to see, follow, inspect, and understand. For inspecting pastures, checking cattle condition, assessing a deer herd, or reducing a coyote or wild hog population, nothing else comes close.  I don't think it would be as much fun flying over other people's property, as most of the fun stuff would get you in one form or another of trouble, but for him, it's good to be king.

[Lood]

A friend of mine flies a R44 and he does a reasonable amount of game counting and darting. A couple of months ago, I accompanied him as a spotter on a flight where he had to herd a rhino cow back to the farm from where she broke out of the boma. It was rather interesting and although I have no wish to either fly or own one, a helicopter is an amazing aircraft and it is capable of incredible stuff.

[1964-M20E]

I love helicopters and alwyas have.  I have flown in them often for work but one day I'll take at least 2 hours instruction in one just to be able to say I actually flew a helicopter.  I do not want to get the rotor wing rating simply becasue they cost too much to operate and I do not want own another flying machine.  Now should I win the lottery that would be different. :-))

[davidsguerra]

'

[aviatoreb]

Quote: carusoam

Overall, not as fast as a mooney...

 

[Antoni Deighton]

Helicopters and airplanes are analogous to motorcycles and cars. And while I accept that they're not for everyone, there is nothing that compares to flying a helicopter, especially if the doors are off! You must use both hands and feet all the time, so you really do get a sense of becoming part of the machine rather than simply guiding it.  There is something simply amazing about being able to descend from altitude to a couple of feet in a matter of seconds repeatedly while practicing autorotations without ever touching the ground! I remember one of my instructors carefully washing each skid off one at a time in a stream after we'd practiced landing on a mud bar! Later he showed me how to tip over a cone with a skid, then come back and tip it upright, put it down again and then he picked it up with the end of the skid and took it back from the practice area to the hangar! Truly amazing machines! If I won the lottery, I'd get one along with a Mooney. But an efficient tourer is a more sensible priority for me!

[jessek]

Do it!  Cant go as far or as fast, but you can hover.  I have 3500 hrs RW. mostly UH-60 blackhawk.  Its a whole other world.  They are great machines.  Of course I have few hrs in anything that wasnt designed to take bullets and land at 500FPM.

[aviatoreb]

Quote: jessek

Do it!  Cant go as far or as fast, but you can hover.  

[1964-M20E]

I love helicopters and alwyas have.  I have flown in them often for work but one day I'll take at least 2 hours instruction in one just to be able to say I actually flew a helicopter.  I do not want to get the rotor wing rating simply becasue they cost too much to operate and I do not want own another flying machine.  Now should I win the lottery that would be different. :-))

 

 

I know I'm quoting myself but over the past year I have flown an R22, R44 and and Enstrom 480 Helicopter and currently have about 4 hours in helicopters.  Opportunity knocked and I opened the door.  I did hovering and approaches in the R22 the others were mainly en-route.  I like it and I think I have caught the helicopter bug.  No I will not be getting rid of my Mooney anytime soon.  I need something to travel in.  However, I have a unique opportunity that if I get my rotor craft ticket I might be able to fly a helicopter with someone else picking up the bill and serve my community all at the same time.

[scottfromiowa]

In 1982 I joined ROTC. I am red/green color deficient. I had never seen a color vision test before taking my first Army physical. The nurse asked me if I see any numbers? I only saw partial numbers so asked, Should I? She said you tell me. I thought it was a trick so said no. I failed the color vision test for the one and only time and never pursued flying Rotary in the military. I never fail the test now, but wonder how different my life would have been had I passed that test...

Always bitter sweet when i think about or fly in a rotary aircraft. Have fun! Some of the video of maintenance on high tension power lines with helicopters is amazing.

[carusoam]

Tougher to do, and more expensive...

Looks like you got them both covered!

The school next door has R22s and an R44. The R44 moves a lot of air when it taxis by.

Best regards,

-a-

[kerry]

I use to fly my kids helicopter inside my house.  I think its the only kind of helicopter flying I can afford and I don't have to worry about complex W&B.

[triple8s]

I bought 2 hrs in a 22 and hovering did me !