Mike
Not a bad idea but have you considered the Hiller 12 series? I've got
several thousand hours in each and know of more than a few whyo have
bought the H12's logged their time and sold them for at least what they
paid.
You might try to contact John Brigham with Bettencourt Helicopters in
Atmore,CA for more info. John is boss of a helicopter ag outfit there
and is pretty tuned in to who has what in helicopters in CA. Tell him
Rocky said HI. I gave him his first dual in a Hiller many years ago.
Mike wrote:
...to get a little stick time? I'm a newbie (about 180 hours split
between the 300C and the R22) and I would dearly like to buy a
helicopter. No justification at all -- just a huge fascination with
helicopters. I think my short list includes a Robinson or a Bell 47.
But I've never flown a Bell and don't know a lot about them, such as
real operating costs, onerous ADs, availability of parts and mechanics
who really know them (in northern California). I'm not even sure where
to start. I did take a 1-hour lesson in an F28 but the instructor
seemed like a goof, and I'm not sure I got a good intro to that ship.
I'm in the SF Bay Area at the moment, though I will end up in far
northern California in a couple years.

Cheers,

Mike