Revolution Mini 500 Parts and MH-1 Upgrade

AirBusDriver

Newbie
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
50
Location
North Canton, Ohio
Aircraft
A320, B737, DA900, DA50, DA20, DA10, BE200, C650, EAA BIPLANE, WACO UPF7, MANY ULTRALIGHTS
Total Flight Time
18,000
Hello fellow Rotary Forum collegues.
I will be taking my Revolution Mini 500 down to Millennium Helicopters In Mount Vernon, AR to John in March for a complete upgrade and rebuild. So, if anyone knows of anyone who may need some stock Revolution Mini 500 parts I will have them up for sale at the end of March ready for shipping.
I’m going to sell my upgraded, never cracked, perfect condition, stock frame.
I’m going to sell my Rotax 582 stock engine with a total of 83 trouble free hours. Main Jet upgrade and perfectly maintained. Never rebuilt or seized. I’m throwing in all the hoses, radiator, oil tank, belt, cog drive, etc. etc. plus all the gauges and probes. CHT, EGT, Rotor/Engine RPM. Included will be the stock exhaust system. Also I will throw in the owners/operators maunual and the complete Maintenance Manual for the Rotax engine.
I am selling the upgraded Factory PEP exhaust seperately, since most Revolution Mini 500 owners already have the Rotax engine and stock exhaust and may be looking for the added HP PEP exhaust upgrade.
I will price the parts at a very reasonable price for anyone that is interested. I’m not out to make money, just to sell these parts to fellow owners who may need my non-usable Revolution Mini 500 parts since no parts and factory support are currently available.
Contact myself or John if you are interested. Let us know ASAP, we don’t expect these parts to last long. We can crate them up and get them shipped to you as soon as there sold.
I will be posting a thread later on in March with pictures and my upgrade progress.
You can also vist the Millennium Helicopters website and look under Kevin’s MH-1 to follow our progress.
Many of you may be interested in my ship. It has a professionally engineered upgraded floating tail drive shaft system installed that is far superior than the factory tail drive system that was used in the stock Revolution Mini 500. This design is similar to what is used in the Bell Helicopters and many others. It has been a fail safe system for many years. No more misallignment, grinding and potential failures.
In my upgrade, I will try to keep my origional cowling intacked. With the help of my hometown Fiberglass Company (who fabricated parts for the Space Shuttle and continues to fabricate factory built airplane parts) there engineers are designing my modified cowling to accomidate the new upgrade exhaust and intake manifold. We will vent the engine compartment with an installed high CFM Electric fan. This should keep the engine compartment cool and keep the engine at an acceptable operating temperature. This fireproof fiberglass cowling modification will be offered as an upgrade self installed kit for those owners who want to keep the origional cowling. You can contact John at Millennium Helicopters in the months to come for more information.
With all the Millennium Helicopter Upgrades, along with my upgraded floating tail drive shaft system and modified cowling design my barnyard reborn helicopter will be safe to operate and provide many years of trouble free operation.
For all you Revolution Mini 500 owners, upgrading your ship is a reasonable way to fly again safely. All of John’s upgrades fix all of the problems that were associated with the old design. The Yamaha 120 HP Genesis 4 stroke engine has been a proven workhorse. With Rick’s newly designed exhaust/intake this engine operates at the required operating requirements for best helicopter performance. The upgraded main rotor transmission, clutch assembly, new cog gear and belt and new redesigned airframe along with the other highly engineered upgrades brings this old helicopter back to life. John will also have his highly engineered governor finished and working soon. Keep checking out his website for current information.
My guess is there will be many upgraded Revolution Mini 500’s MH-1 upgrades flying in the near future. Thank’s to John and Rick there will be 5 MH-1 conversions flying soon. Just look at all the hit’s on this Rotary Forum and the Millennium Helicopter website and you will see the interest.
So, take your old Revolution Mini 500 out of storage and get going with the upgrade.

Fly Safe
Kevin
 

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My assumption of the cost to do this work is around 50K.
Based on the $800.00 Texas Rick charged me to mount a 2706 in place of a 447 on my Air Command. Good luck. Harry
 
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Hi Kevin,

I hope you have many hours of enjoyment out of your new MH-1. Looking forward to see your build progress

Would you mind updating us on the floating tail drive shaft system upgrade you have done? How have you implemented the "floating" part?

We like pictures ........

Cheers,

Francois
 
I have viewed the Robinson Design with big ????. It floats. It looks like to me it offers no support. I have also posted pictures of the 269. It floats and makes a lot more sense.
 
My assumption of the cost to do this work is around 50K.
Based on the $800.00 Texas Rick charged me to mount a 2706 in place of a 447 on my Air Command. Good luck. Harry


I just paid $1800 for a new door seal in my Duke. Another $500 in labor and that does not include my labor as well. Flying is expensive.
 
Kevin,
Nice to have you on our team, and welcome to the forum. Your build is going to be awesome and will go pretty quick. I’m looking forward to your arrival. That’s a nice looking dust collector you have there. We will turn that thing into a dust beater, and it will be a blast to fly for sure. I don’t know why Harry said what he said, but I know how much work Rick actually did and I wouldn’t have done it for that. I guess being nice just don’t pay off sometimes. Ha!! Out will the bull*hit on with the build!!

Todd
That's ridiculous!! Its really a shame that the certificated machines are like that. When I owned my 172 it was the same way..
 
Hello AirBusDriver Congratulations on an already great looking helicopter. When you learn when your going to be at John's let me know I'd like to meet ya and see your ship . I'm working on my conversion also just been dragging my tail a little but hope to make a showing soon. I know you have probably talked to John a lot on the phone but let me tell you he is a super nice guy very knowledgeable in what he does and takes pride in the parts he produces and safety has always been first . Any way I'm sure John wont mind me welcoming you to the MH-1 family !
 
I will be adding an Infinity Military Style Grip with 4 switch selector’s. I will have a push to talk switch for the com , a switch to change the com frequency, a switch to change the transponder code and a switch to turn on/off the landing light. This will replace my stock grip.
Hopefully John will have the governor built by the time I’m ready to bring this puppy back to Ohio. If so, we will install it and I may just be able to take my hands off the controls for a bit.

Kevin
I love the grip! and I plan on using the green button top left of the hat switch to operate the governor. That switch has to be changed out to a push on, push off type switch, mine I believe is a momentarily on. It will be an easy switch to swap out. You might even be able to order it direct from them with the correct switch installed. The only other switch is the lower blue one and that's wired to my landing light.
 
If you plan on having a switch for your landing light on your infinity cyclic grip make it a toggle, otherwise you can't tell if your light is off or on in flight. Also be sure to be sitting in your seat and rotate the grip to fit your hand comfortably when installing it, you would be surprised on how many people fit them perfectly straight.
Kirt
 
If you plan on having a switch for your landing light on your infinity cyclic grip make it a toggle, otherwise you can't tell if your light is off or on in flight. Also be sure to be sitting in your seat and rotate the grip to fit your hand comfortably when installing it, you would be surprised on how many people fit them perfectly straight.
Kirt

Kirt

Yes I catch myself from time to time turning my landing light on by accident. I plan on switching to the toggle and swap the two switches around for the governor. I don't want the governor being switched off and on like the landing light. That wouldn't be good at all.
 
For anyone flying in and around control zones I found it really handy to wire the com and transponder to the Chinese hat. One for channel scroll, one for flip flop and one for ident. Fourth axis was a spare. Like someone mentioned before the seat belts were rather restricting for leaning ahead to work the radios, especially
While hovering.
Kirt
 
Kevin,

I am following you with excitement. You seem to be just as excited about your project as I am.

Mine is getting close.

Bryan Cobb
 
Hi


Your list has some problems.

There were eight Mini 500 registered in the UK.

All now cancelled long long ago by the CAA - I'm not sure if any of them ever flew.

I suspect most have gone to landfill.

The example you mention "G-CSEX" is not one of the eight. Registration "G-CSEX" has never been issued.

"U6234Z" is not a UK registration either.

A flying Mini 500 is a rare sight.


Cheers

Steve
 
Hi


Your list has some problems.

There were eight Mini 500 registered in the UK.

All now cancelled long long ago by the CAA - I'm not sure if any of them ever flew.

I suspect most have gone to landfill.

The example you mention "G-CSEX" is not one of the eight. Registration "G-CSEX" has never been issued.

"U6234Z" is not a UK registration either.

A flying Mini 500 is a rare sight.


Cheers

Steve

Steve,

Unfortunately you are very correct!! Most have been sold and resold again since than. That landfill part you said is a shame to here!! I also agree, seeing one fly is a very rare sight here as well! Mine is a dream to fly and a dream come true for me. Not an original Mini 500 but same airframe. Here's what mine sounds like, nice and quiet four stroke engine!! Reliability!!!!!!!

Out For Lunch - YouTube
 
Not on topic but may I interject?

Not on topic but may I interject?

Thank you for taking the time to read my concern. First I want to say that I really really like what is going on with the upgrades to the Mini 500. So to get the point, I am wanting to get into aviation but I am six feet five inches tall and weigh in at two hundred ninety pounds (before you go off on a rant saying I need to lose weight blah blah, I have heard it over and over and don't need you to repeat it.) So now that is out of the way, would anybody be willing to make suggestions for experimental helicopters that would actually be able to support somebody of my size? I am very concerned because everything I see out there is for somebody 5'5 and 130 etc, and nothing I have found is remotely able to handle anybody like myself.
 
James, build your own. Just like I am. I'm no skinny melinny, that's why I'm building one to suit my "footprint".

Cheers,

F.
If I had any idea of where to start, what I needed, and where to find parts. That might actually be a good idea, since I am able to weld and bend tubular pipe etc. What are you working on?
 
Here is a list I found of Mini 500 owners.
C-GEBJ
1998 Revolution MINI-500 BRAVO 0465 1 Manitoba, Canada

C-GEBJ was a very active flyer ... was always at fly-ins & air shows etc , I am sure he was over 200 hours (1990's) ... things went quiet after the factory closed ... not sure where the machine ended up ... could still be around
 
Arnie,

Thanks for the info.....I'm sure there are many old Mini 500's sitting around collecting dust.

This conversion and upgrade is a safe way to get them back in the air flying again SAFELY.

I always liked the Mini 500 from the time I saw the first one in the early 1990's at Sun N Fun. I still believe the Helicopter design was a good one but the Rotax engine was it's downfall.

I firmly believe the upgraded Yamaha engine with plenty of HP and it's reliability from being around for years is an excellent choice for it's power plant.

Fly Safe,

Kevin
 
Thank you for taking the time to read my concern. First I want to say that I really really like what is going on with the upgrades to the Mini 500. So to get the point, I am wanting to get into aviation but I am six feet five inches tall and weigh in at two hundred ninety pounds (before you go off on a rant saying I need to lose weight blah blah, I have heard it over and over and don't need you to repeat it.) So now that is out of the way, would anybody be willing to make suggestions for experimental helicopters that would actually be able to support somebody of my size? I am very concerned because everything I see out there is for somebody 5'5 and 130 etc, and nothing I have found is remotely able to handle anybody like myself.

James L,
Kyle was 265+ lbs and 6’2” or so. He was the first to fly my Yamaha conversion and he was about the same build as you. He flew the crap out of the machine. He flew for our first few videos because I didn’t have my rating yet. One thing for sure you want fit in a Helicycle. The flight testing video 1 you can see how big of a boy Kyle was but the Helmet cam video is the first original video of the first flight with the Yamaha conversion. Enjoy the videos and if I can answer any of your questions feel free to give me a call!!!

Helmet Cam 1.wmv - YouTube

Flight testing 1.wmv - YouTube
 
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