On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 00:41:55 GMT, wrote:


Rotorway's are good.

Rotorways are OK if you enjoy spending "x" (where "x" is a number around
"5") hours wrenching on the beast per flight hour. That is what turned
me off of that brand - I want to fly, not maintain, the aircraft. I'm
not so much a mechanic-sort of person. (The other thing that makes me
nervous is the tail rotor drive belt setup - I'd prefer a shaft drive
for some reason.)

Based on the research I've done, the CH-7 Kompress (until recently, sold
in the US by Lancair) and possibly the "Baby Belle" (not its current
name, since Bell Helicopter went after 'em a while back - its name is
now the Safari) would be on my shopping list for kit-built helicopters.
That said, I don't have too much data on how much wrench time per flight
hour those aircraft need - that sort of info on the Kompress in
particular is hard to come by.

Based on what I've learned, I'd rather buy a high-timed R22 (e.g. around
1500-1800 hours) than a kit-built helicopter, if the price is right (and
note that Robinsons hold their value pretty well, unlike a kit-based one
which has comparatively little resale value). I like the ideer of FAA
certification for some reason 8^) .

Dave Blevins