Which Kit Helicopter to buy and why?

[errece]

If you were going to buy a Kit Helicopter just for Hobby which one would you buy and why? what are the cost of maintenance and overhaul? does flying your own kit helicopter counts as timebuilding towards a private or commercial license?

 

Thanks

[Rick McWilliams]

The Mosquito XEL is a very cool single seat helicopter. Also check out the helicycle small turbine helicopter. Building an airplane or helicopter is a big project. Most builders are not fliers.

[adam32]

None...buy a certified ship...

[R22139RJ]

I have seen the Helicycle fly, it looks like a blast to fly. When it fires up, it sounds amazing.

[SafariHelicopter]

This is a thoroughly biased opinion - take a look at the quality of the SAFARI. Experimental helicopters with a history of safety and dependability are a viable choice for a pilot wanting a personal helicopter. The maintenance costs of a certified ship put it out of reach of many pilots, keeping them from enjoying what the pro pilots do every day.

Delane Baker

SAFARI Helicopter

Edited April 22, 2010 by 67november
edited for content.

[rick1128]

Personally I wouldn't buy a kit and fly it. While the time counts, the safety of some of these kits concerns me. Especially the Mini 500. At Sun & Fun, I looked at the Rotorway and the Safari. On both, you have a weight you have to move, depending on if you are solo or have a passenger.

[yzchopper]

Personally I wouldn't buy a kit and fly it. While the time counts, the safety of some of these kits concerns me. Especially the Mini 500. At Sun & Fun, I looked at the Rotorway and the Safari. On both, you have a weight you have to move, depending on if you are solo or have a passenger.

 

There is a lot of flight schools that require you to balast under the left seat in the R22 when you fly solo so it will fly level as if there is a passenger sitting there. So whay would be the difference here with the kits.

I have seen the Helicycle and talked to BJ Schram the founder before he passed and it is a well designed helicopter for a kit.

I have talked with several owners of the Rotorway and they all like the way it flies. The only complaints was it is small for a large person which makes it weight limited like the R22.

The Mini 500 is a death trap if purchased and built like the original. If you can make the mods and upgrades to it like a turbine and a better gearbox it may be a great kit.

 

I know nothing about the Baby Belle (Safari) so I can not comment other than it looks like it would be fun to fly but it is really expensive for a kit. You could buy a nice high timed R22 for the price of a Safari kit.

I cannot comment on the Talon 600 either as I have not researched that kit.

[delorean]

None, buy a certified one......unless you're single, with no family, and don't have to worry about life insurance.

 

But the Hummingbird is the closest thing you can get to certified in a homebuilt. It was designed, built, and tested by Sikorsky, it just never made it to type certification. That's pretty good in my book.

[adam32]

Yeah, I forgot about the Hummingbird, but I think the last nice flying one for sale was like $200k or something crazy like that...

[cherminator]

My pick would be the Mosquito. They even offer a turbine model. Rotorfx will build a brand new turbine model for you for $46,500. complete (according to their website). Lot's of cool videos of them on Youtube.

[Goldy]

Since you do not yet know how to fly, I might suggest you only look at ships that can fit two full size adults.....just a thought.

 

The hummingbird and the safari come the closest to what I would buy, but for the price there are plenty of certified ships for sale.

Edited May 3, 2010 by Goldy

[rick1128]

There is a lot of flight schools that require you to balast under the left seat in the R22 when you fly solo so it will fly level as if there is a passenger sitting there. So whay would be the difference here with the kits.

I have seen the Helicycle and talked to BJ Schram the founder before he passed and it is a well designed helicopter for a kit.

I have talked with several owners of the Rotorway and they all like the way it flies. The only complaints was it is small for a large person which makes it weight limited like the R22.

The Mini 500 is a death trap if purchased and built like the original. If you can make the mods and upgrades to it like a turbine and a better gearbox it may be a great kit.

 

I know nothing about the Baby Belle (Safari) so I can not comment other than it looks like it would be fun to fly but it is really expensive for a kit. You could buy a nice high timed R22 for the price of a Safari kit.

I cannot comment on the Talon 600 either as I have not researched that kit.

 

I was not talking about keeping the helicopter laterally level. These weights are moved from nose to tail and back. It appears they have very narrow CG ranges.

[Goldy]

I was not talking about keeping the helicopter laterally level. These weights are moved from nose to tail and back. It appears they have very narrow CG ranges.

 

A lot of the smaller and lighter ships have fairly narrow CG ranges. Just look at the R22 IFR as an example. I always thought we should just STC a 10-30 pound weight that mounts to the rear of the left skid....that would help a ton in W&B ! Especially for guys pushing the 240 seat limit or flying solo.

 

Goldy

[rjl2001]

Well I just added a vote to "Other", and will also vote for the Innovator Technologies Mosquito kits. Even though I also really like the RotorWay International A600 Talon, I guess it depends if you're looking for a one or two place ship. But from what I've found researching online, the Mosquito looks to be a lot of fun while being safe and relatively affordable at the same time. The build looks to me as if it would be a little bit easier for a first timer than something like a RotorWay. Then again there are also a good number of built/used RotorWays already for sale. As with anything definitely do your due diligence and research which kit you plan to get. For the RotorWay I recommend contacting this guy: AirMark Helicopters. The Safari Helicopter looks to be the more substantial of all the above, and uses a 'real' aviation engine. The initial price looks to be quite a bit more with the Safari though.

[r22butters]

......unless you're single, with no family, and don't have to worry about life insurance.

 

Well, that's me. So I guess I would buy the Mosquito. It looks to be one of the cheapest, however, I would only buy it for 'time building'. If I could afford to really 'own' one, I would definitly stick to the "certifed" ones!

[errece]

And how much are the maintenance costs of a certified helicopter?

 

I found a 2002 R22 with 1630TT on it for the same price of a new Rotorway A600 Talon for example, but how much are the maintenance costs for the R22 on a annual basis? (let's assume 100-200 hours of flight per year)

[apiaguy]

good question on the maintenance errece...

I'd bet if you bought the r22, you'd spend less on maintenance for the final 580 hours before overhaul and you'd have a helicopter that was probabally worth MORE than the talon at 580TT.

[adam32]

And how much are the maintenance costs of a certified helicopter?

 

I found a 2002 R22 with 1630TT on it for the same price of a new Rotorway A600 Talon for example, but how much are the maintenance costs for the R22 on a annual basis? (let's assume 100-200 hours of flight per year)

 

I'd say $100/hr for an R22. 100-200hrs a year, does any Rotorway out there even have that much total time? Hillers/Brantleys are also fairly cheap and they are certified so you can at least make some money with them...

 

Can you get insurance on an experimental?

[Jsta22]

After extensive research into this same thing, Id choose the helicycle.. Turbine Powered, and from owners Ive talked to, Stable, Reliable, and proven design! Downside is One Seat, so strictly a time builder for me I guess.. But id love one!

Then Again, I have owned a few Waverunners and Jetskis, And always found someone who I knew or met along the lines that was up for flying in pairs.. Makes it more fun to go places if there were two of you and Two Machines.... Anhow.. I'd Go Helicycle

[Whistler]

I personally think this one is nice. very luxurious and much cheaper than the listed models. and it will get you to the same destination just as quickly.

 

http://tinyurl.com/km2zrzf

[tradford]

The thought of purchasing a solo machine was my motivation to sign up for lessons. I'd never flown a helicopter before, so I was starting from scratch. I told the school owner that I had no intention of getting a license and that I just needed a few hours so I could hover. I had no idea what I was in for. It was really hard and it took a while before I got in the groove and honestly believed I'd ever pull it off. A year later, I was a licensed helicopter pilot with about 70 hours in an R22 and a little bit of luxury time in a 44. All I can say is that learning to fly a helo by the book is a huge experience. I highly recommend focusing on getting the formal training before worrying about how you feed the habit after the fact. I submit that once you're down the road, it will have a profound impact on your opinion of which direction you want to take. Just integrating with professional pilots as you traverse the process is highly educational. Lots of studying, written and practical tests, aerodynamics, weather, pattern protocols, radio comms, navigation - lots of stuff to learn. The chopper is a fascinating machine and just performing a few hundred pre-flights will go a long way towards getting you familiar with the mechanical fundamentals of rotary technology.

 

NO SHORTCUTS!!

[Rich1]

Couldn't agree more w Tradford above...NO Shortcuts!

 

There are probably others in life, but this is one of those critical choices that has very little if any tolerance for error. I'm probably one of those rare breeds that have experience on both sides of the home built v certificated debate.

 

I was an early kit builder and had the pleasure of being signed off to solo at the factory. I'm pretty adept mechanically and enjoyed building the ship and truly admired its engineering, and I know they have done many great enhancements since its inception.

 

In the many years since though, I've flown, rented and now owned several certificated helicopters since my early kit days....and I can share unequivocally that knowing now what I didn't know then...is everything.

 

I have learned that Rotary flight, the engineering, the forces involved in helicopters is extraordinarily complex and attention to detail and safety IS everything at altitude! Looking back I was a good kit builder...but I was clueless of the sheer risk I was taking. If I were a hobbyist, a weekend mechanic, and would be happy mostly hovering around my property, and content with taking only myself solo to altitude only occasionally ...then a kit is fun and may the way to go.

 

I often say that if I make a mistake fixing my car there's no worry at ground level....however, when we going to altitude, it's a whole different gig.

 

Like most here, I love these machines...and I know the deep desire to want one in the garage or hangar. It's important to note also that following my kit build I scrimped and rented certificated machines for nearly 20 yeas in order to finally purchase and own my first certificated ship. Worth the wait...unequivocally....worth the margin of safety and peace of mind? Priceless

 

If I'm planning to be at altitude often, have family and friends at risk with me...then certificated is my choice...every time.

 

Just my well worn thin nickel for what little it will buy you downtown:-)

[turbo]

http://vid1130.photobucket.com/albums/m537/turboeddie/IMG_0588.mp4

 

of the kit helis i think the helicycle is one of the best designs. i own one.

[txrotor]

helicycle for sure....its just an amazing machine

[tradford]

I was flying around in a Beta II last weekend and flew alongside a Helicycle. I had to slow up quite a bit for him to keep up, more so than I would have thought. With a 13 gph fuel burn, it seemed a bit impractical. I will say that the owner (a seasoned turbine helicopter pilot) loves his machine and it is a beauty. I'm thinking that the piston-powered Mosquito is probably more practical. Better fuel economy and cheaper. Turbine does sound very cool!