Rotorway A600 Talon VS. Hummingbird 260L

[PR_Arecibo_DC]

Just want to hear some feed back. What you guys thing about this two machines.
I could not find any incident report for the Hummingbird but I did find few for the Rotorway...not the new Talon but for the Exec 162.

I do gong to buya SparrowHawk...thats is 100%. My bussiness is moving good so if it keep going as it is I might get me a hilo to...

I just bought few acres in Texas and hopefully by late March 2008 my new house and home work shop/hangar will be build and I will be returning from Iraq by the same time. So I will wait until next day after I arraive to the house to place the order for my Gyro...and If I get convinve about the hilos I might get one to....

Just need your opinion so my research become easier....

By the way....is any one know what is the rule say about having my own privete landing strip in my property....

Jose :drum:

 

[brett s]

Yep, good advice there

I'm partial to Bell 47's personally but they cost a whole lot more to fly & maintain than an R22.

 

[PR_Arecibo_DC]

Thanks for the input guys... But honestly if I will put my money into this I really want quality and safety...something I can trust my life...and in the other hand something I bit nice looking... I flew the R-22 and is a great machine but I honestly hate the cyclic on the R-22, the T cyclick drive me knuts... Is a bit stupid but my first time that I flew a hilo was a Blackhawk in the army and I just was taking a ride from point A to point B and I ask the Pilot and he say sure why not...hop in the right seat.... Since then I am in love with hilo's... and thats why I like better joystick, I flew for an entire hour in the black hawk plus I was taking classes to be a fixwing pilot in the Diamond aicraft wich has joystick...

Now... What about having my own personal heliport/landing strip in my property... whats the rules on that........

Jose

 

[brett s]

Having your own strip comes down to local regs more than anything else, as long as you're not doing anything the FAA can throw the "careless & reckless operation" clause at or endangering people on the ground.

Unless you've got a substantial amount of property in a rural area it's tough even if currently legal, all it takes is a few annoyed neighbors to get an ordinance passed.

 

[PW_Plack]

A helicopter will make a lot of noise. For that matter, so will a big two-place gyro with a Subaru. If you have enough land to keep the noise far from your neighbors, you might get by with a home strip.

Neighbors generally seem to better tolerate fixed wings, which can be loud, but gone quickly.

 

[brett s]

If I ever win the lottery I'd get a 500 myself - but that's about the only way I can rationalize it

 

[Hognose]

If you are looking at experimental helicopters, the Safari has some of the advantages of the Hummingbird (certified engine for one) at a cost not too distant from the Rotorway... probably under the Talon 600.

All three aircraft have very long histories (the third being the Hummingbird). As Jim said, the H'bird descends from the S-52 and it has "big-helicopter" stats (and you can expect big-helicopter maintenance bills). Rotorway has sold the dream of flight to a lot of people, some of whom have actually gone on to fly! The aircraft has had a lot of iterative improvements over the years... and there is an active owners' mafia out there, and third-party enhancements (one of which is the cog drive. Rotorway always used a chain, but at least two vendors have made different cog-belt drives for the Exec). The company has been through several crises and ownerships but it's still in there pitching.

The Safari began as the Commuter Jr. and then was redesigned and renamed the Baby Belle. Bell threatened Canadian Home Rotors with a lawsuit and so it became the Safari (a better name, I think).

Listen to Jim when he's talking. An R22 is a known quantity, depreciates in a straight line regardless, and is comprehensively supported by the manufacturer (unlike the Bell 47, which Bell would really like to see go away forever). The R22 will cost you less to maintan and give you more uptime than an experimental helicopter.

It's hard to compare safety records without knowing how many aircraft are flying how many hours... all you get is raw numbers which may be misleading. Here are some numbers I scared up:

1. Baby Belle/Safari:
4 mishaps, 1 fatal. Three mechanicals including the fatal which resulted from a design error.

2. Hummingbird/S52
no mishaps
CORRECTION: In 1964 a passenger walked into an S52 tail rotor on the ground. The pax was seriously injured, the a/c undamaged.

3. Rotorway Exec 162F
(Note: due to the large number of Rotorways, I narrowed the field to the latest model)
30 mishaps, two fatal. Both fatals appear to be mechanicals, one due to improper assembly. (That pilot also had a total of 5.5 hours of rotorcraft time. Overconfident?)

Note that the R22 and the Rotorway are not aircraft for the big and tall pilot (especially "big.") Two FAA-standard airmen fit, but neither has the oomph to lift pilots suffering from middle-age spread.....

Also... looking at Jim's house. That's a place to land in in a certified (especially turbine) helicopter, maybe. Me not liking odds with piston experimental and trees. I've been into tight places like that as a passenger in Army helicopters (and even tighter places on a rope) and I have to say I hated every minute of it. YMMV.

cheers

-=K=-

 

[Aussie_Paul]

What weight is a FAA-standard airman?

Aussie Paul.

 

[PR_Arecibo_DC]

Guys, I cant find words enough to thank you guys for that amount of knowledge. Yes I am a rookee... But I can tell you that all your input is being use to better my self... I bought a 10 acres lot in Killeen, TX and is not that many tall trees;...actually is no trees there is all buches...

Jim beatiful home you have.... I am just starting into real life... I got medical retirement from the Army just 1 year ago...I am a contractor now in Iraq and slowly I am putting togeather a life i couldnt have before so...hopefully by March next year I will have my house finish and my home shop/hangar, so I can star ordering new toys...... My house will not be as big as yours Jim... My wife say she dont like to clean a house that big...but she did like the house Jim...

I see you guys have a lot of experience in the Hilo word... well I kind of going between the R-44 and the Hummingbird...hard to decide.... BUt definetly I will get the Sparrowhawk II... The wife love it....Never flew on it but she did like it in the website....

I hope one of this days I can meet you all and maybe share some hangar talk...and mayne a beer or a cofee...

Jose

 

[GyroRon]

Hey Jim.... I mean James.... no I mean Justin! Looks like you might need some fertilizer and possibly a application of limestone on the ole yard. Do you need some lawn service?


What else is that in the Garage? Looks like the tail end of a motorbike...

 

[123delboy]

Hi Jose, just wandering which route you went and if you are now the proud owner of a helicopter. i am considering a similar purchase.

brgds Derek

 

[tyc]

Now... What about having my own personal heliport/landing strip in my property... whats the rules on that........
Jose

You already purchased the property - so before you build - check your deed restrictions (if there are any) and check the applicable zoning statutes.

If you have deed restrictions which prohibit having your own landing strip or helipad (how many acres do you have?) then don't build. Odds are if you have only an acre or two, the neighbors may not at all like having you for a neighbor. If you have ten, twenty or more acres of ground, suspicision has it that your neighbors won't mind the noise at all. In fact, they and their kids may find your aerial activities to be outright interesting so stay alert for this as they can unintentionally get in the way and get hurt.

As for the zoning, hopefully there are none and if there are, it'd be nice if it were Rural Residential or Commercial. Use the Internet to search out your state, your county and your township, parish or municipality. Such a search could prove very educational.

Hope this helps

tyc