On Thu, 8 Sep 2005 12:50:51 -0500, "PittsS1C" wrote:

Can we rank them in terms of reliability...

Based upon? Where do we find unbiased reliability reports for all models
amateur-built helicopters? Accident reports, yes, but these do not necessarily
reflect reliability. I suspect few people have owned more than one model of
homebuilt helicopter, and thus a relative ranking between two types is
difficult.

One can certainly study homebuilt rotorcraft accident rates as a gauge of
safety, but just because an aircraft has a lower rate doesn't mean that the
owner isn't out fixing a bunch of little stuff every time he opens the hangar
door.

Back when I did that study of homebuilt aircraft accidents, I calculated the
accident rate for 18 homebuilt types. The design with the worst record was a
fixed wing.... and the Mini-500 wasn't even the worst-scoring homebuilt
helicopter.

Ron Wanttaja