Enstrom project on ebay

I bet it costs more to put it back together than it will be worth at the
end? Just the labor alone has to be painful let alone 2 main blades, both
tail blades and an engine.
I wonder if projects like this ever get completed?

Joe
(if I only had a bigger garage...)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...sPageName=WDVW

I once saw an ad for an Enstrom project in a Chicago newspaper. The ad
read"Traffic copter $10,000"

I called and went to see it. It was in a garage in the near north loop area.

Supposedly, the pilot, down near St Louis, did a bad auto after running out of
gas. He was so mad when he exited the ship he punched a hole in the left front
windshield.
The blades flexed down into the tail boom, dinged themselves and the boom.
It came with a used tailboom, but it had the TRGB on the new side.

3 used blades, MRGB & TRGB overhaul, and parts to convert to new style tail
rotor brought the cost up to the price of a similar, flying Enstrom.

When I walked in and saw the ship I was reaching for my wallet. It was
beautiful, blue tinted windows, real nice interior and the Lycoming started
right up and idled sweet.

This was at least 10-15 years ago, before the cost of "salvage" type aircraft
went through the ceiling.
Tom

This aircraft, N5693D, was involved in an accident in 1998 in Colorado.(NTSB
Identification: FTW98LA183 ) Just the cost of the parts, would likely drive
the cost of this project to an unreasonable level. Let's see, you'd need an
overhauled engine ($14K seems quite low for a quality job), TR blades, 2 MR
blades and how about having the gearboxes checked for damage which may have
been sustained while the blades they were driving were bashed up. What
about the TR drive shaft? Is that still straight? Unlikely. Oh, yeah, you
'd need new TR flex couplings, too. MR blades should be balanced as a set
by the factory, so add the price of sending the surviving blade back to be
mated with the two new ones. Not shown in the eBay photos are any of the
drive components (jackshaft, idler system, etc.) Is that all in good shape
after the crash? And assuming that one collected all of the parts, gee,
everything has been taken apart, and is organized how? If this basket case
were reassembled, you'd still have an older used helicopter with a dubious
past including significant damage history. Having some experience working
on Enstroms, (which are fine helicopters, by the way) I submit that, even if
one's labor had no value (and who doesn't value their time at least
somewhat) one could find a much better deal by shopping for a still flying
aircraft.

rshafer




"joe" wrote in message
...
I bet it costs more to put it back together than it will be worth at the
end? Just the labor alone has to be painful let alone 2 main blades, both
tail blades and an engine.
I wonder if projects like this ever get completed?

Joe
(if I only had a bigger garage...)


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...sPageName=WDVW

Like this one?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...3214 490&rd=1

"Bob"
I submit that, even if
one's labor had no value (and who doesn't value their time at least
somewhat) one could find a much better deal by shopping for a still flying
aircraft.

rshafer