rotorxtcy Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Hello all; I am a new Rotor Pilot and soon to be owner. But I am at a crossroads!I am the owner of a new profitable business and I want to have a personal Unit that I can utilize as my own. I am confused about choices and at the same time I want to make the right choice. I missed Heli-expo 08 so I am now seeking the expertise of you all great current Pilots and Owners! I have narrowed my choices of a personal unit to a 1999 MD600N, 2006 EC-130B4, or 1998 Bell 430. I know one is a twin engine, but talking with sales people you know they all say theirs is the best. I want educated opinions from people who have owned or flown these, as for their relability, ease of use, maintenance expense, comfort and versatility.Please respond to this post or at my email of rotorxtcy@hotmail.com. I welcome all opinions and suggestions.Warmest regards;rotorxtcy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 Probably need to know more about what you plan to do with this ship..how many people are you moving, what weights, what DA, etc. If you're looking for a small 3-4 place turbine, I would at least test fly the Enstrom 480B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelliBoy Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 This is what you're looking for...if you've got the coin for one of those three spend a little extra and get the right one. From the Bower Helicopter website: "Buying Services OfferedOne of the primary and unique services offered by Bower Helicopter, Inc. is to assist you in your helicopter buying decision process. We will help you determine your desired specifications, locate the best prospective helicopter candidates which are for sale, assist in the technical evaluation of the candidate aircraft, help negotiate the best purchase price, and assist in the administrative details regarding contracts, title changes, and financial payment. A secondary service offered is assistance in arranging for reconfiguration, refurbishment, and maintenance to meet your requirements." WWW.BOWERHELICOPTER.COM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick1128 Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 Hello all; I am a new Rotor Pilot and soon to be owner. But I am at a crossroads!I am the owner of a new profitable business and I want to have a personal Unit that I can utilize as my own. I am confused about choices and at the same time I want to make the right choice. I missed Heli-expo 08 so I am now seeking the expertise of you all great current Pilots and Owners! I have narrowed my choices of a personal unit to a 1999 MD600N, 2006 EC-130B4, or 1998 Bell 430. I know one is a twin engine, but talking with sales people you know they all say theirs is the best. I want educated opinions from people who have owned or flown these, as for their relability, ease of use, maintenance expense, comfort and versatility.Please respond to this post or at my email of rotorxtcy@hotmail.com. I welcome all opinions and suggestions.Warmest regards;rotorxtcy. It would help to know where in the country you plan on operating this helicopter and how you plan on using this machine now and in the near future. Each machine has it strong points and weak points. Also keep in mind insurance costs as they will be steep for the first year or so. Also what maintenance facilities are nearby. Keep in mind that twin engine machines just about double your costs and double your problems. So unless you need the IFR capability or the lifting capability, I personally would rank twins lower in my scale of desirability. Based on my experience, depending on your area and use, the MD600 is quieter, but suffers some limitations due to the NOTAR design. The EC-130 is a fine machine, but getting parts can be a pain in the rear end. Eurocopter expects each owner to get a minimum of 10% the value of the helicopter in parts. They provide a list of recommended parts. A number of them have a limited shelf life. Personally I am a Bell fan. While it is not the sleekest machine on the line, parts and maintenance support are good and has a lot of after market upgrades available. Plus the old ways get to be the old ways because they work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500pilot Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 (edited) I have time in all 3 aircraft you mention and currently fly the 430. If you are serious please pm me about what you are looking for and what you are expecting to get out of the aircraft and I will do my best to tell you what I know about the aircraft in order to help you out. Edited April 24, 2008 by 500pilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gomwrench Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 (edited) Run do not walk away from the MD600N. I am not a pilot, but I spent close to 4 years working on one for a governmental agency and it was a dog. The pilot absolutely hated it, stated it was difficult and tiring to fly, and wanted to go back to his trusty OH-6. MD's support at the time was very sketchy with long wait times for parts. The maint and parts manuals had way too many aircraft models (600N, 520N,and 500 series) jammed into a single set of books and we found numerous errors in MD's wiring diagram foldouts in the Maint Manual which certainly did not help in troubleshooting, and when we contacted our tech rep and MD directly they really didn't seem too concerned about it. I have close to 20 years of wrenching on Bells, Sikorsky, Eurocopter and Robinson, and I cant reiterate enough how bad an aircraft the MD600N is. Maybe their support has gotten better, as I have had no dealings with MD since late in 2005, but I cant see that aircraft getting better with age. Edited April 25, 2008 by gomwrench Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFLY Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 I haven't flown any of them but if you are in Arizona I'll be happy to fly with you anytime. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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