C17LM Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Anyone flown these aircraft made famous by M*A*S*H? How do they handle compared to other helo's in there category? Would they be a good personal heli? Please share your experiences. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOATFIXERGUY Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Fun to fly, especially because of their history. Very manueverable! Not as great to own, as parts are getting high. We ran two of them for a couple of years doing rides. You should fly one if you get the chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 (edited) Anyone flown these aircraft made famous by M*A*S*H? How do they handle compared to other helo's in there category? Would they be a good personal heli? Please share your experiences. Thanks! Lets see: they vibrate like no tomorrow, especially over 60 KIAS. They are slow as a dog, top out around 70 knots, suck gasoline in the largest quantities known to man. But wow, I love the Bell 47. Hydraulic feel but heavier and more stable than the overboosted feel of the R44, but I love that perfect sound when you have the rotor rpm right and you're swinging those huge wood blades. Plus you can load the cockpit up with 600 pounds or so. Definitely old technology..too expensive to own due to a lot of 1200 hour life limited parts. Really a slow gas hog. Just like the joy you get driving a classic car, where you have no air bags, horrible gas mileage, etc. love em ! Definitely worth a few bucks to fly one sometime.Goldy Edited November 12, 2007 by Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C17LM Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 I've heard they vibrate a lot and knew they were slow, but didn't know that they loved to suck fuel. Makes sense that upkeep would be a little pricey. I may never own one, but will have to get the experience of flying one at least once. Thanks Guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomer Pylot Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 They're old, but they're relatively reliable. I learned to fly instruments in the TH13, and it was tough. Nothing adjusts - nothing. I used to fly under the hood leaning way forward, and when my back would start hurting I would start to straighten up, and go into a climb. The seats are just mats velcro'd to flat metal, and among the most uncomfortable ever made. Actually, now that I think about it, Velcro hadn't been invented then. I don't remember how they were attached - snaps, I think. The bubble cockpit is terrible, because the sun shines in all the time, no shade, full greenhouse, and with the shadow of the head and/or blades starts flickering on the panel, vertigo is only a blink away. I actually got flicker vertigo on my final instrument checkride, and it took all the concentration I could muster to keep it under control. I had to fly the NDB approach twice, because I blew it the first time, and never got down to MDA. The check pilot let me fly it again, because I hadn't come close to busting minimums. The shadow on the panel in the hold nearly got me. They've been used extensively for cropdusting, because slow isn't a fatal drawback for that. Not much other use that I know of, though, other than just tooling around. The Soloy conversion seemed to help a lot, if you can afford it, and then afford the upkeep on the C20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Hunt Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 That big blunt bubble at the front is great for visibility, but dreadful in summer and is designed for pure DRAG. As a personal machine, forget it, you run out of fuel and take all day just trying to leave the circuit. But those 45 kt autos were a buzz, just look between your toes for the landing point. And the piston version is terribly noisy, get a Soloy for more power and reliability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 (edited) oops, doubled on me. Edited November 12, 2007 by Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Oh forgot to mention. They are built like a Sherman Tank, and they auto like a dream. My first full down auto was in a 47. For what they had flying in the Korean War days, you can understand why the 47 was so popular. Kinda like the Humvee of yesterday. If you want to know everything about this bird, check this out. http://www.bell47helicopterassociation.org/ Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Pilot Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 For anybody in eastern or central PA who wants to try a 47, Dutch Country Helicopters at KLNS has three of them that they do dual in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotor_head_spencer Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 (edited) Anyone flown these aircraft made famous by M*A*S*H? How do they handle compared to other helo's in there category? Would they be a good personal heli? Please share your experiences. Thanks! I have have never flown one, but I know a good guy to ask. Ray Poss, the Cheif flight instructor at my flight school actually owned the helicopters they used in M*A*S*H and flew them in the show. I will ask him if he still has one and what he thought, or you could just call Aviation Specialties Unlimited in Boise Idaho and ask him. Funny guy, he has some great stories. actually he has a website with contact infohttp://www.rposs.com/ Edited November 13, 2007 by rotor_head_spencer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparker Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I have have never flown one, but I know a good guy to ask. Ray Poss, the Cheif flight instructor at my flight school actually owned the helicopters they used in M*A*S*H and flew them in the show. I will ask him if he still has one and what he thought, or you could just call Aviation Specialties Unlimited in Boise Idaho and ask him. Funny guy, he has some great stories. actually he has a website with contact infohttp://www.rposs.com/ Will you get me his autograph?!?!?! That is really cool, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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