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new pilot ! Looking to buy ROTORWAY ?


derekmcm

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Hey guys looking around for a helicopter ( my first one ) i keep going back looking at the rotorway exec. Whats yalls thoughts on them ? and cost in general to operater the machine ?? I'm just buying it to fly on my free time with my son. want something safe, reliable, easy on the pocket book (within reason i know its a helicopter and cost some cha ching ) so any advice guys thanks !

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If I were to buy something to fly for fun (by myself) I'd go with an Eagle or Mosquito helicycle (they just look better made than the Rotorway). If I wanted to have someone with me when I fly, I'd go with something more "certified", like an R-22, or a H-269, for that added sense of security!

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Guest pokey

If I were to buy something to fly for fun (by myself) I'd go with an Eagle or Mosquito helicycle (they just look better made than the Rotorway). If I wanted to have someone with me when I fly, I'd go with something more "certified", like an R-22, or a H-269, for that added sense of security!

 

i vote for the good advice of going with a 'certificated' aircraft,, and the 269 is an excellent choice. It is a military proven design, and a very lightweight rugged ship. Only drawback is Sikorsky's support of them these days, which i hope gets resolved soon.

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Couldn't agree more with the seasoned wisdom above....fly anything you want on the ground. If you are going to go to altitude however, go with something certified. ESPECIALLY if you are planning to take friends or family...

 

If you have to save a few more years to afford the factory machine...the piece of mind is worth the wait...

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I took an intro flight in one a few years ago and really enjoyed it. That was really before I started training though so I can't really speak to how it handled or anything. If you and your passengar are larger individuals than it would probably be pretty tight in the cabin. Also, I would imagine the performance starts lacking at higher altitudes. For more information about Rotorway aircraft, I would reccommend contacting Mark Peterson. He seems to have a wealth of knowledge on the subject and was a real nice guy when I met him. See his website: http://airmarkhelo.com/ . There are also used ones for sale on the site.

 

Have you looked into the A600 Talon? I believe that's a newer model than the 162 Exec. Has a FADEC, electronic display, belt drive instead of a chain, and I've heard the wider skids are a nice improvement.

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I don't have any personal experience with them, but nearly everything I've heard about them is negative. My friend/flight instructor and previous employer recommended I never fly one...

From what I hear they are driven by belts (and a super long one at that).

I guess I'm pretty biased though, and haven't flown them myself. These days, I'd probably fly just about anything I thought was reasonably safe though :P

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  • 8 months later...

Get involved with the experimental helo market. Get educated on them. I believe they can be flown safely. I am on the edge of closing on a helicycle. Fly what you can buy. A rotor way needs a good pilot who is willing to do his share of maintenance. It can be done. Mark Peterson is a good start. http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m537/turboeddie/93cb43d69ee366b72304cf06d0c86098.jpg

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I don't have any personal experience with them, but nearly everything I've heard about them is negative. My friend/flight instructor and previous employer recommended I never fly one...

From what I hear they are driven by belts (and a super long one at that).

I guess I'm pretty biased though, and haven't flown them myself. These days, I'd probably fly just about anything I thought was reasonably safe though :P

 

I'm curious as to what you think Robinsons and Schweizers are driven by ?

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Get involved with the experimental helo market. Get educated on them. I believe they can be flown safely. I am on the edge of closing on a helicycle. Fly what you can buy. A rotor way needs a good pilot who is willing to do his share of maintenance. It can be done. Mark Peterson is a good start. http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m537/turboeddie/93cb43d69ee366b72304cf06d0c86098.jpg

 

Amen.

Almost everyone I've met in the experimental market is some kind of retired aeronautical engineer, or something or other - in other words, as far from the backwoods redneck imagery that is portrayed so profusely as it can get.

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I'm curious as to what you think Robinsons and Schweizers are driven by ?

Engine to drive train, belt(s) on both. After that the drive train conventional, the tail rotor on each are powered by drive shafts.

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I've flown in one once. Didnt want to go higher than a hover. Lasted 30 mins and I told the owner to go land. Piece of sh*t in my opinion. Would never take a family member up in one unless we were being chased by zombies or something. Don't waste your coin!

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I'm curious as to what you think Robinsons and Schweizers are driven by ?

 

I think he's referring to the tail rotor. The Rotorway I was familiar with had a drive belt (think lawn mower blade drive belt size) all the way down the tail boom from the MGB to TRGB. I think they have an upgrade to a driveshaft now, but I think that's what he was referring to.

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Hey guys looking around for a helicopter ( my first one ) i keep going back looking at the rotorway exec. Whats yalls thoughts on them ? and cost in general to operater the machine ?? I'm just buying it to fly on my free time with my son. want something safe, reliable, easy on the pocket book (within reason i know its a helicopter and cost some cha ching ) so any advice guys thanks !

How much are you willing to invest in this endeavor?

 

For some rotorcraft pilots it's either an RW or two-place gyro.

 

Of course Certified is better...but so is a Ferrari.

 

I wanted a Helicycle but my wife insisted I get a two-place (as a matter of principle). She of course never flies…sort of like the season ticket holder who never goes to the games.

 

She likes PPCs (low & slow), never flew in my Twin Comanche, occasionally in my trikes and gyros. So I’ll have to make the best of what I have…a 162F.

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How much are you willing to invest in this endeavor?

 

For some rotorcraft pilots it's either an RW or two-place gyro.

 

Of course Certified is better...but so is a Ferrari.

 

I wanted a Helicycle but my wife insisted I get a two-place. She of course never flies…sort of like the season ticket holder who never goes to the games.

 

She likes PPCs (low & slow), never flew in my Twin Comanche, occasionally in my trikes and gyros. So I’ll have to make the best of what I have…a 162F.

I feel the skid mods and the aftermarket governor are improvements to the 162F (Not to mention cog belt and FADEC typically on the 162F)

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Orv and Mark are the EXPERT instructors and Homer Bell is a great building consultant for RWs.

 

Note Orv's site with lesson's learned (hints & tips) over many years of flying RWs.

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I may be mistaken but I'm not aware of a Rotorway engine that's made it to overhaul.

 

Check out this site and do some searching on Rotorway: www.rotaryforum.com. Better yet, sign up and ask some questions.

 

Also check the NTSB accident reports and compare to other experimentals like the Helicycle.

 

Mike

Yes, it's a good forum. It adds clarity to the issues which otherwise are misconstrued. They don't pull any punches.

 

There is a current thread on the engine that’s pretty informative. Maybe I’ll paste a couple comments…

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Among other things, since this engine has solid lifters they must be kept adjusted. More importantly is the need to run high zinc/phos oil…this is well known for most cars and other solid lifter engines. I use Valvoline Not Street Legal racing oil or the Amzoil counterpart. Both have the highest Zinc/Phos I could find…and I looked hard. The Z/P levels exceed EPA for street legal cars.

 

Note some guys just use regular oil and explains some of the problems in my mind.

 

If you don’t’ and many owners didn’t…you ruin it. Same thing with cars. This is old news with racers.

 

I also run MotorKote in mine:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIEZ58wnUyM

 

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Among other things, since this engine has solid lifters they must be kept adjusted. More importantly is the need to run high zinc/phos oil…this is well known for most cars and other solid lifter engines. I use Valvoline Not Street Legal racing oil or the Amzoil counterpart. Both have the highest Zinc/Phos I could find…and I looked hard. The Z/P levels exceed EPA for street legal cars.

 

Note some guys just use regular oil and explains some of the problems in my mind.

 

If you don’t’ and many owners didn’t…you ruin it. Same thing with cars. This is old news with racers.

 

I also run MotorKote in mine:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIEZ58wnUyM

 

 

 

Wow makes me feel good about running Amsoil in my Jeep.

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