I see Mini-500 helicopters selling on eBay, but much less these days.
Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts if I was
compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?

Roger that "Other Kevin". They have taken out some high-time pilots. The
engine has been known to Seize, which also makes your rotor not turn. This
makes an autorotation extremely difficult.

Some words just don't go together in a sentence, like "Affordable" and or
"Cheap" and "Helicopter". Mini 500 buyers are lured by Affordable and Cheap.

I have a htm file that was a several year study of Mini-500 accidents.
Pretty interesting read. One in particular, the ship caught on fire when the
owner went inside his house to get something. He thinks his Crescent wrench
slipped off the ship and fell on the battery causing it to short out and
catch fire. Totalling the ship. Then they make the statement "the ship had
been for sale for quite a while".

I have never flown a Mini 500.
Ron Snipes
New Bern, NC





"planeman" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I see Mini-500 helicopters selling on eBay, but much less these days.
> Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts if I was
> compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?
>

You know, I should have known better than to ask a simple question
here, and to get a simple answer back. I read all the hype about the
Mini-500, and I see right through the bullstuff. I just wanted to know
if there was anyone else besides who I know that is selling parts,
besides thieves. I didn't want to dig up old hysteria.

Never mind.

> planeman > wrote:

> Never mind.

With all due respect to you sir ..... what do you expect.

You breeze in here for the first time and ask a question about
the Mini 500 that to many people does not make sense.

> Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts
> if I was compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?

I don't understant what your talking about.

> if I was compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?

What the hell do you mean by that statement.

And just what do you expect from people in this group,
a blanket endorsement, or perhaps a bootlicking.

With the reputation that the Mini 500 has hanging over it's head your
damn rights people are going to point out the obvious to a newcomer
that floats in here for a day or two. Especially when they don't
explain themselves very well.

If your that ignorant that you can't understand the obvious then don't
let the door hit you on the way out of the newsgroup.

What a prime example of humanity, you must be proud of yourself.
YOU are why I don't post on newsgroups!





> planeman > wrote:
> Never mind.

With all due respect to you sir ..... what do you expect.

You breeze in here for the first time and ask a question about
the Mini 500 that to many people does not make sense.

> Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts
> if I was compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?

I don't understant what your talking about.

> if I was compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?

What the hell do you mean by that statement.

And just what do you expect from people in this group,
a blanket endorsement, or perhaps a bootlicking.

With the reputation that the Mini 500 has hanging over it's head your
damn rights people are going to point out the obvious to a newcomer
that floats in here for a day or two. Especially when they don't
explain themselves very well.

If your that ignorant that you can't understand the obvious then don't
let the door hit you on the way out of the newsgroup.

Dear Ron,
Thank you for trying to help contribute to the Mini-500 history, but I'm
afraid you have posted some statements that are not accurate. Please
allow me to help:


Ron Snipes wrote:

> Roger that "Other Kevin". They have taken out some high-time pilots.


The fact of the matter is that no Mini-500 has crashed due to improper
design or bad flight characteristics. The only accidents have strictly
been from pilot error, improper assembly or owner modifications. As all
helicopters ever designed and flying, the Mini-500 has had a few
problems from design oversights on my part, but none has caused an
accident, and all were corrected and the upgrades made available to the
owners for free or at our cost.

The high-time pilot you may be referring to was Allen Barklage in St.
Louis MO. The facts behind that is he had seized his engine a week or so
before, due to him installing the wrong engine jetting. After seizing
the engine, he installed the proper jets and restarted the engine and
began flying the helicopter again, without repairing the engine. The day
of the crash, the helicopter still had the same damaged engine. He took
off, and rather climbing to a safe altitude to clear a power line
complex, he flew just feet over the top. The engine finally failed, and
Allen tried to autorotate the helicopter to the other side. The distance
was to great, and the helicopter blades stalled and nosed into the
ground. No helicopter built with a single engine could have made the
distance. Pilot error.


> The engine has been known to Seize, which also makes your rotor not turn.
> This makes an autorotation extremely difficult.


True, the engine has seized, but only to improper jetting, low octane
fuel or improper maintenance. No Mini-500 Rotax engine has just failed
due to the engine design, demand or application.

I don't know who told you the rotors would not turn if the engine quits.
That is not true. If the engine quits, or is powered back at any time,
the clutch will immediately allow the rotor system to continue turning,
allowing for full autorotation capability. In fact, the Mini-500
auturotated as well or better than most helicopters, as demonstrated at
air shows all over the world, and by customers that built and operated
Mini-500's according to factory specifications.


> Some words just don't go together in a sentence, like "Affordable" and or
> "Cheap" and "Helicopter". Mini 500 buyers are lured by Affordable and Cheap.


Correct. People in general have no business building helicopters. I was
a fool to think so.


> I have a htm file that was a several year study of Mini-500 accidents.
> Pretty interesting read.


So do I. In fact, we did a complete study up to the point where we
closed the doors, and even posted the accident report here on the
newsgroups for all to see. I will post it here again separately from
this post.


> One in particular, the ship caught on fire when the
> owner went inside his house to get something. He thinks his Crescent wrench
> slipped off the ship and fell on the battery causing it to short out and
> catch fire. Totalling the ship. Then they make the statement "the ship had
> been for sale for quite a while".


That is true, but you forgot to mention that this owner had dowsed his
Mini with a highly flammable solvent, and while he was in the house
making a phone call in the middle of his cleaning operation, that is
when the wrench left inside the engine compartment mysteriously fell on
the battery contacts. One more thing, he had full insurance coverage
worth twice what the aircraft was worth, and he got paid.

His Mini-500 had been for sale, and he was asking way to much. It was
insured for twice as much as what he could have sold it for outright.
I'm glad you see through it too.


> I have never flown a Mini 500.


Thank you for qualifying your statements. There is nothing wrong with
commenting on a helicopter you have no experience with, but still, the
statements need to be corrected. I hope I have helped your better
understanding on the topic.

As for the guy that originally asked the question about places to buy
Mini-500 parts, no, there is nowhere to purchase parts. I might add that
this is a good thing. Even if you could buy parts, the Mini-500 should
not be flown without a factory that continues to flight test and keeps
track of ongoing issues common to all helicopters operating.

Most sincerely,


Dennis Fetters

> As for the guy that originally asked the question about places to buy
> Mini-500 parts, no, there is nowhere to purchase parts.
>
> Most sincerely,
>
> Dennis Fetters


THANK YOU!!!
That is all I wanted to know!
I wish everyone else could have been as polite and helpful.
I'm going back under my rock.

Regards, Larry

"planeman" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I see Mini-500 helicopters selling on eBay, but much less these days.
> Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts if I was
> compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?
>


Despite what you may read below. This is a dnagerous machine.
So unless you have 1000+ hours or rotorcraft time and know enough
to know why youd want to put yourself in peril, take you money and
invest it in training in a non-experimental helicopter.

Bart

planeman wrote:
>>As for the guy that originally asked the question about places to buy
>>Mini-500 parts, no, there is nowhere to purchase parts.
>>
>>Most sincerely,
>>
>>Dennis Fetters
>
>
>
> THANK YOU!!!
> That is all I wanted to know!
> I wish everyone else could have been as polite and helpful.

And Fetters has been extremely threatening and abusive too. His comments
are always self-serving, the style just depends on what he's after at
the moment. Don't be gullible.

> I'm going back under my rock.

You should stick around. The replies you got from Kevin, Shriver, and
Ron were aimed at keeping you alive, that's all.

> Regards, Larry

There was a rollover CH-7 Angel being parted out on eBay recently, did
you see that? A *much* safer bet.

"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" <skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net> wrote in
message ...
> On 21 Jul 2005 13:38:24 -0700, "planeman" >
> wrote:
>
>>I see Mini-500 helicopters selling on eBay, but much less these days.
>>Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts if I was
>>compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?
>
> Dunno ow accurate the posts in this group have been over the past
> years, but you might want to do a little digging on the 'net before
> you dive into a Mini 500.. They don't have the best of reputations..

Ahhh, but the illustrious Mr Fetters will be along shortly to set the record
straight. then everyone will rush out and buy a 500.


--
Beav

Reply to "beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com" (with the obvious
changes)

"planeman" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> You know, I should have known better than to ask a simple question
> here, and to get a simple answer back. I read all the hype about the
> Mini-500, and I see right through the bullstuff. I just wanted to know
> if there was anyone else besides who I know that is selling parts,
> besides thieves. I didn't want to dig up old hysteria.
>
Wasn't part of the buying of a mini the fact that parts could only be gotten
from a particular scource? Also, any mods had to be approved by the
manufacturers?


--
Beav

Reply to "beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com" (with the obvious
changes)

"planeman" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>> As for the guy that originally asked the question about places to buy
>> Mini-500 parts, no, there is nowhere to purchase parts.
>>
>> Most sincerely,
>>
>> Dennis Fetters
>
>
> THANK YOU!!!
> That is all I wanted to know!
> I wish everyone else could have been as polite and helpful.
> I'm going back under my rock.

Give Den a kiss when you ge there. He's sure to be occupying the same space.


--
Beav

Reply to "beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com" (with the obvious
changes)

Cumulous wrote:
> planeman wrote:
>
>>> As for the guy that originally asked the question about places to buy
>>> Mini-500 parts, no, there is nowhere to purchase parts.
>>>
>>> Most sincerely,
>>>
>>> Dennis Fetters
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> THANK YOU!!!
>> That is all I wanted to know!
>> I wish everyone else could have been as polite and helpful.
>
>
> And Fetters has been extremely threatening and abusive too. His comments
> are always self-serving, the style just depends on what he's after at
> the moment. Don't be gullible.


Please Cumulous, copy and post something I said that was "extremely
threatening and abusive" that was out of line or not true. Please do so,
and back up your insults. As for self-serving, sure. It is mine, and
everyone's right to speak out on untrue comments or insults made by
inconsiderate people as yourself.

Dennis Fetters

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 02:20:49 +0100, "Beav"
> > wrote:
>
>
>
>>Ahhh, but the illustrious Mr Fetters will be along shortly to set the record
>>straight. then everyone will rush out and buy a 500.
>
>
> Already done so. I don't know jack about Dennis or any of the
> aircraft he designs/sells, but if it walks like a duck etc... well..
> Do the math yourself..

He's politely asked that http://tinyurl.com/8ejpq be shared.

Its incredible how much false information you can get on the newsgroups.
Persons who have never owned and flown a Mini-500 have nothing to offer
but opinion from a extreme distance. It means nothing at all to those
that really need to know. It is also pointless to get an opinion from a
person with an axe to grind or that feels he has been swindled by
someone with more brains than he has or at least the ability to use what
he has more efficiently..
Persons who allow themselves to be indoctrinated by ignoramuses often
become what they learn from. It is very evident in these forums.
My Mini-500 was so easy to operate a caveman (with 20 hours of training)
could do it. The only way to operate a helicopter safely is with in the
design parameters. Then even that is no guarantee but it improves your
safety factor.Very skilled and qualified pilots have operated outside
these parameters and have been injured or killed. Sometimes pilots are
killed by misjudgment or taking an ever so slight chance that they will
be okay. Picking a bad emergency landing site killed two Sacramento
sheriff's officers this month. Had it been a Mini-500 it would surely
have been to blame because the unknowledgeable person would have been
quick to blame it. I guess it boils down to who has more realistic
advise for you, the manufacturer or the newsgroup detractor. A profound
analysis in itself I would think. Think about it, read about it and form
a conclusion based on reason. Or not, its a matter of free agency.

"Clear the area before departure" "Look both ways before crossing the
street" yada yada, or hell just knock on wood!

"B4RT" > wrote in message
...
>snipped<

>
> Despite what you may read below. This is a dnagerous machine.
> So unless you have 1000+ hours or rotorcraft time and know enough
> to know why youd want to put yourself in peril, take you money and
> invest it in training in a non-experimental helicopter.
>
> Bart
>

> Jim > wrote:

> Its incredible how much false information you can get on the newsgroups.

Well Jim I congratulate you heartily.

You are one of the very, very, very few people who have ever come into
this newsgroup who has anything good to say about the Mini 500.

> My Mini-500 was so easy to operate a caveman
> (with 20 hours of training) could do it.

So I would presume that since this is such a joy to own and operate
that you must still have yours.

Perhaps you wouldn't mind telling the group approximately how many
hours you have flying your Mini 500.

Now I know there are a few people out there that have put some hours on
their machines. And some of those are people who have done some
extensive modifications to make them safer to fly.

Unfortunately whether it was poor design, poor building, poor parts,
poor piloting, poor weather, or just poor judgement, it appears that
many of the Mini 500s seem to have suffered from various types of
accidents, some of which resulted in the deaths of the pilot.

Now Jim I am not being mean nor am I trying to be snotty.

The fact is that if you have had good success with your machine, still
have it in flying condition, and are generally happy with it's
performance, then I do heartily congratulate you on your ability to
enjoy as a hobby, what many in this newsgroup would like to do
themselves.

That being said I invite you to come back to this group and describe in
some detail your experiences with the machine.

Not only from a builders perspective, but that as a pilot owner
operator and as the owner mechanic.

I'm sure many in this group would be interested in reading your
comments.

I know I would.

Now another Revolution Mini 500 appears on Ebay.

I stand corrected on a couple of points by MR. Dennis Fetters. I just recall
back in the late 90's when this newsgroup posted almost daily "Dennis
Fetters Sightings" Mini 500 discussions were lively.
Ron Snipes
New Bern, NC


"planeman" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I see Mini-500 helicopters selling on eBay, but much less these days.
> Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts if I was
> compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?
>

Scratch wrote:

> He's politely asked that http://tinyurl.com/8ejpq be shared.

What Mr. Scratch is referring to is a letter that Joe Rinke posted to
the newsgroups years ago, after RHCI filed a lawsuit against him for
breach of contract. After we filed the lawsuit, I got an email from Joe
Rinke threatening to tell my wife and my friend Glenn that I was having
an affair with Glenn's wife, if I don't drop the lawsuit.

That same night I wrote Joe Rinke a harsh but personal email telling him
to bring it on, with many of the words you read below contained in it.
But, Joe Rinke took that email and changed the wording to make a
completely new meaning, and posted it to the newsgroups. I did not write
the letter you read below, and there was never an affair with Glenn's
wife. On the contrary, we were all good friends.

I swear to God that the letter below was wrote not by me, but by Rinke
or someone under his control. These types of things are exactly what we
had to put up with from Joe Rinke, and some of his companions.

What you believe is your personal preference. I don't care, it's you
that must live with your dark hearts. I will place my side before you in
defense when necessary, but after believe what you wish. You want to
believe a liar, blackmailer and extortionist like Joe Rinke, then it's
up to you. I never wrote the letter below, and I swear to God I didn't.
Ask Joe Rinke to swear to God I did.

So Mr. Scratch, try again, but this time put something I wrote. Shame on
you for posting this letter and not posting my answer to Rinke's letter
denying to the newsgroup I wrote it. It says much about you. Think about
that for a moment.

Dennis Fetters


> > Subject: Re: Advertisements
> > Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 03:43:21 -0500
> > From: Dennis Fetters >
> >Organization: Revolution Helicopter Corp.
> > To:
> > Reference: 1

> >Well, Mr. Rinke,

> >I can see that you did not take my first warning seriously.
> >That just shows me how stupid you are. You didn't even have
> >the guts to write me back. Like I told you and your friends
> >at Oshkosh, that if I find out that you and your business
> >associates offer to sell your conversion to any of my customers,
> >I will sue you for every dime you've got and put you out of
> >business before you even get started.

> >I've also asked your buddy Glenn, more than once, to pull your
> >ad from his web page. I don't know who you think you little men
> >are, but if you continue advertising and continue offering out
> >the turbine conversion and upgrades at half of my price I will
> >sue you for everything...I'll not just stop at your business, but
> >I'll go for your house, belongings and anything else you'll ever
> >try and own, and you'll always be the nothing you are now. And
> >with that, I'll go after anybody that's part of your company and
> >any customer that also does business with you, and I'll tell
> >them whatever it takes to have them believe you're at fault, and
> >have them thank you for their troubles.

> >If you think you got trouble and expenses now, just try screwing
> >with my life and friends, and you'll live the worst nightmare you
> >could imagine. Look you nothing, we've sued the best, and beat
> >them all at their own game. You will never have any idea of the
> >endurance we developed in building this company, and the hundreds
> >of people much, much bigger then you that we had to defeat, and
> >sometimes two or more at a time. You will be peanut's, and I'll
> >enjoy eating you and your buddies for lunch.

> >You got until Wednesday to mail me, fax me or Email me a letter that
> >you've closed your web page advertising Rinke Aerospace, along with
> >an apology, or I'll make a game of this, and go for all. After the
> >apology, and if I like it, we'll get back to business and settle
> >this as painlessly as you want to make it. The harder you'll play,
> >the harder I'll play....times two.

> >Try me,

Dear Jim,

I tried to email this to you privately, but it returned. So, I'll post
it here as a privet email. Those who read it are reading something not
meant for anyone but Jim.


Dear Jim,


Thank you for your post, I'm happy to read what you said, but it will
only cause you problems. These people live by "do not confuse the issues
with the facts, we already made up our minds". They are mostly crippled
with blinders, and unable to comprehend the facts. I only post here in
rebuttal against what these few robot minded people parrot, and then
only for those with open minds and hearts to have an opportunity to at
least read the other side. Then, they can make up their own minds.

It is a burden I bare alone, and no need for you to suffer by trying to
say something contrary to what they want all others to believe. If all
happy Mini-500 owners were as brave and forthright as you, and would
stand and fight back, then it would be a victory, but that will never
happen. Thank you for the bit of kindness, but you do not deserve their
wrath.

Most sincerely,

Dennis Fetter

Jim wrote:

> Its incredible how much false information you can get on the newsgroups.
> Persons who have never owned and flown a Mini-500 have nothing to offer
> but opinion from a extreme distance. It means nothing at all to those
> that really need to know. It is also pointless to get an opinion from a
> person with an axe to grind or that feels he has been swindled by
> someone with more brains than he has or at least the ability to use what
> he has more efficiently..
> Persons who allow themselves to be indoctrinated by ignoramuses often
> become what they learn from. It is very evident in these forums.
> My Mini-500 was so easy to operate a caveman (with 20 hours of training)
> could do it. The only way to operate a helicopter safely is with in the
> design parameters. Then even that is no guarantee but it improves your
> safety factor.Very skilled and qualified pilots have operated outside
> these parameters and have been injured or killed. Sometimes pilots are
> killed by misjudgment or taking an ever so slight chance that they will
> be okay. Picking a bad emergency landing site killed two Sacramento
> sheriff's officers this month. Had it been a Mini-500 it would surely
> have been to blame because the unknowledgeable person would have been
> quick to blame it. I guess it boils down to who has more realistic
> advise for you, the manufacturer or the newsgroup detractor. A profound
> analysis in itself I would think. Think about it, read about it and form
> a conclusion based on reason. Or not, its a matter of free agency.
>
> "Clear the area before departure" "Look both ways before crossing the
> street" yada yada, or hell just knock on wood!
>
> "B4RT" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>snipped<
>
>
>>Despite what you may read below. This is a dnagerous machine.
>>So unless you have 1000+ hours or rotorcraft time and know enough
>>to know why youd want to put yourself in peril, take you money and
>>invest it in training in a non-experimental helicopter.
>>
>>Bart
>>
>
>
>

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:

>>He's politely asked that http://tinyurl.com/8ejpq be shared.
>
>
> That's not the 1st time I've seen something like that from Dennis.
> One thing I haven't seen is anythig like that directed towards Rick
> Stitt, the guy who "allegedly" ripped off Rinke's turbine conversion
> designs and attempted to manufacture and sell them as his own.
>
> Crap like this is PRECISELY why I mentioned to the OP why it might be
> a good idea to do some research before considering a Mini 500.


But Kevin, here is the problem. I didn't write the letter refereed to
above. It was a forgery posted in an attempt to make me look bad, and
you blindly believed it.

Isn't it true that people have posted here on the newsgroups pretending
to be me, and later admitted to it?

Now, you mentioned above "that's not the first time I've read something
like that from Dennis". So put your money where your mouth is and prove
your statement, post something I did write to back up your comments.

Dennis Fetters

"Dennis Fetters" > wrote in message
...
> The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:
>
>>>He's politely asked that http://tinyurl.com/8ejpq be shared.
>>
>>
>> That's not the 1st time I've seen something like that from Dennis.
>> One thing I haven't seen is anythig like that directed towards Rick
>> Stitt, the guy who "allegedly" ripped off Rinke's turbine conversion
>> designs and attempted to manufacture and sell them as his own.
>>
>> Crap like this is PRECISELY why I mentioned to the OP why it might be
>> a good idea to do some research before considering a Mini 500.
>
>
> But Kevin, here is the problem. I didn't write the letter refereed to
> above. It was a forgery posted in an attempt to make me look bad, and you
> blindly believed it.
>
> Isn't it true that people have posted here on the newsgroups pretending to
> be me, and later admitted to it?

Maybe that's true Dennis, but none of them ever got your "style" of writing
down. The letter quoted doesn't fall into that category. it's as "Dennis
Fetters" as it's possible to get, so I'd say you DID write it, but don't
like admitting it.

>
> Now, you mentioned above "that's not the first time I've read something
> like that from Dennis". So put your money where your mouth is and prove
> your statement, post something I did write to back up your comments.

Personally, I couldn't be arsed to trawl through a platefull of Fetter
drool.


--
Beav

Reply to "beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com" (with the obvious
changes)

>
> Dennis Fetters

Beav wrote:

> Maybe that's true Dennis, but none of them ever got your "style" of writing
> down. The letter quoted doesn't fall into that category. it's as "Dennis
> Fetters" as it's possible to get, so I'd say you DID write it, but don't
> like admitting it.


As I said, I swore to God I didn't write that letter. Do you think I
would lie to God? It was posted fraudulently by Joe Rinke. You are so
closed minded that you couldn't believe anything else if it jumped up
and bit you in the butt. You believe it only because that is what you
want to believe. Show us where I have ever written anything like that.


>>Now, you mentioned above "that's not the first time I've read something
>>like that from Dennis". So put your money where your mouth is and prove
>>your statement, post something I did write to back up your comments.
>
>
> Personally, I couldn't be arsed to trawl through a platefull of Fetter
> drool.


As for you, what room do you have to talk? Go play with your little toy
RC helicopters, that's your speed. Hell, even my toy helicopter is 300
pounds with a rotor diameter of 16 feet! I'll send you a picture!

Dennis Fetters

Dennis Fetters wrote:
> Dear Jim,
>
> I tried to email this to you privately, but it returned. So, I'll post
> it here as a privet email. Those who read it are reading something not
> meant for anyone but Jim.

Riiiight.

Important message, for Jim... only for Jim...

> Dear Jim,
>
>
> Thank you for your post, I'm happy to read what you said, but it will
> only cause you problems. These people live by "do not confuse the issues
> with the facts, we already made up our minds". They are mostly crippled
> with blinders, and unable to comprehend the facts. I only post here in
> rebuttal against what these few robot minded people parrot, and then
> only for those with open minds and hearts to have an opportunity to at
> least read the other side. Then, they can make up their own minds.
>
> It is a burden I bare alone, and no need for you to suffer by trying to

I'm getting all weepy.

> say something contrary to what they want all others to believe. If all
> happy Mini-500 owners were as brave and forthright as you, and would
> stand and fight back, then it would be a victory, but that will never
> happen. Thank you for the bit of kindness, but you do not deserve their
> wrath.

I need a tissue <sniff>

> Most sincerely,
>
> Dennis Fetter

You spelled your name wrong.

B4RT wrote;
> So unless you have 1000+ hours or [of] rotorcraft time..

For the homebuilder; is that 1000 hours of flying experience, or 1000 hours
of maintenance experience, or perhaps 1000 hours of experience in
manufacturing and assembling rotorcraft?

It is said that the Sikorsky Sea King requires 7-12 hours of maintenance for
every hour of flying.
http://www.canoe.ca/mb2/messages/cnewsf/994-2.html

Maybe the maintained experience is the most important.for safe flight????
Just a question.

> the guy who forged that "privet" latter

I dunno. The letter was so sappy, seems authentic to me.

So it's not necessarily PILOTing proficiency.

Now if the pilot had Superman's vision and Einstein's brain, his
'walk-around' would allow his eye's to see inside all of the craft, and his
brain would allow him to understand all he saw.

Just a joke. :)



"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" <skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net> wrote in
message ...
> On Sun, 24 Jul 2005 19:34:38 GMT, "Dave Jackson"
> > wrote:
>
> >Maybe the maintained experience is the most important.for safe flight????
> >Just a question.
>
> The most important part of the flight safety equation is the PILOT.
> It's the pilot's responsibility to determine if the aircraft is
> actually airworthy.
>
>
>

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 21:54:54 GMT, Dennis Fetters
> > wrote:
>
>
>
>>But Kevin, here is the problem. I didn't write the letter refereed to
>>above. It was a forgery posted in an attempt to make me look bad, and
>>you blindly believed it.
>
>
> Actually, I didn't, "blindly believe it." Again, playing Devil's
> Advocate, just who are we all to believe? "He said, you said".
> Somewhere in the middle lies the actual truth.


My apologies for assuming so.


>>Isn't it true that people have posted here on the newsgroups pretending
>>to be me, and later admitted to it?
>
>
> I don't know? Is it?? I've yet to see any evidence of that in this
> newsgroup, but having said that, I've only been actively participating
> here for about a year..


Yes, it is true. Several people here have posted under my name. For one,
look up some of the postings of Esteban (Steve) Jimenez
) Who posed as me and was exposed.


>>Now, you mentioned above "that's not the first time I've read something
>>like that from Dennis". So put your money where your mouth is and prove
>>your statement, post something I did write to back up your comments.
>
>
> Had I the inclination to make even the smallest effort to do so, I
> would. However, I don't so won't lift a finger. Had I directly
> quoted something attributed to you, I'd gladly dig up the source.


Yes, it is much less trouble and easier to discredit someone without
proving it. My arguments exactly.

Again, my apologies for assuming the above, but it was easy to make the
mistake, I'm sure you'll agree.

Dennis Fetters

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:

> On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 23:16:36 GMT, Dennis Fetters

>>As for you, what room do you have to talk? Go play with your little toy
>>RC helicopters, that's your speed. Hell, even my toy helicopter is 300
>>pounds with a rotor diameter of 16 feet! I'll send you a picture!
>
>
> Descending into insults.. typical.


I rarely do so, and then only when it's factual. There is already some
history with Beavis and his out of line comments.
But, few else here hesitate to insult me. I don't see you standing up to
them. Why? double standards? I hope not.

Dennis Fetters

Dave Jackson wrote:

> B4RT wrote;
>
>>So unless you have 1000+ hours or [of] rotorcraft time..
>
>
> For the homebuilder; is that 1000 hours of flying experience, or 1000 hours
> of maintenance experience, or perhaps 1000 hours of experience in
> manufacturing and assembling rotorcraft?


Dave, from my experience, that sounds about right.

If Kit aircraft had the same laws backing them as certified aircraft,
then people would by law have to build and maintain their aircraft to
factory standards, and in most cases that would vastly reduce the
accident rate.

Sincerely,

Dennis Fetters

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:
> On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 23:16:36 GMT, Dennis Fetters
> > wrote:
>
>
>
>>As I said, I swore to God I didn't write that letter. Do you think I
>>would lie to God? It was posted fraudulently by Joe Rinke. You are so
>>closed minded that you couldn't believe anything else if it jumped up
>>and bit you in the butt. You believe it only because that is what you
>>want to believe. Show us where I have ever written anything like that.
>
>
> How does swearing to an imaginary deity prove the truth of anything???


Dear Kevin. I am very, very sorry, but in that case you will never
understand. You have to believe what you wish.

I do hope for you the best,

Sincerely,

Dennis Fetters

Scratch, Kevin and cloudster,

You have absolutely no respect for anyone, and now you prove that you
have no respect for yourselves.

As for you making fun of someone's typo's and spellchecker oversights,
it only proves my point. I have to type 10 times the amount as any of
you to post my answers. And this is only a small part of my day. It's
only the law of averages that I will overlook something. Setting my
technical accomplishes aside, the big difference between you and me is
respect for others. I would not discredit myself by making fun of
someone's grammatical errors, as you would to yourselves.

I'm glad I had to post this private email to Jim, because it shows
people the true nature of my detractors. When you make fun of someone's
sincere expressions of gratitude as you did, it shows people the dark
side of your hearts, and shows them the evil behind what you do, and
then they know that you have the ability to say anything, no matter if
it's true or not. Because we all know what hate can make someone do, or
say.

During this same time, you have proven to all of us that you don't know
what you're talking about, and that you are just being disrespectful for
the sick fun of it. You have had nothing to do with a Mini-500, nor have
you ever done business with me. You have nothing to complain about, and
no bone to pick with me. You do it because the faceless newsgroups allow
you to make unjust fun of others. You are worse than the bully on the
block. At least he has the gonads to face the ones he attacks. The one
person that appears on the newsgroup in defense of his Mini-500 is
attacked and ridiculed. No wonder they stay away, who can blame them.

But on the other hand, I must thank you. When people like you make
untrue comments about the Mini-500 and myself, it gives me the
opportunity to not only post the truth, but to expose the nature of the
people making the untrue comments, which only adds to my credibility and
others education on the subject. In this way, you help me by allowing
the conversations to continue, and providing the forum to post my side
in direct response to your inaccurate allegations and parroting of false
roomers. You are unwittingly helping me, and I couldn't do it without
you. Keep up the good work, boys.

Dennis Fetters


Scratch wrote:

> Dennis Fetters wrote:
>
>> Dear Jim,
>>
>> I tried to email this to you privately, but it returned. So, I'll post
>> it here as a privet email. Those who read it are reading something not
>> meant for anyone but Jim.
>
>
> Riiiight.
>
> Important message, for Jim... only for Jim...
>
>> Dear Jim,
>>
>>
>> Thank you for your post, I'm happy to read what you said, but it will
>> only cause you problems. These people live by "do not confuse the
>> issues with the facts, we already made up our minds". They are mostly
>> crippled with blinders, and unable to comprehend the facts. I only
>> post here in rebuttal against what these few robot minded people
>> parrot, and then only for those with open minds and hearts to have an
>> opportunity to at least read the other side. Then, they can make up
>> their own minds.
>>
>> It is a burden I bare alone, and no need for you to suffer by trying to
>
>
> I'm getting all weepy.
>
>> say something contrary to what they want all others to believe. If all
>> happy Mini-500 owners were as brave and forthright as you, and would
>> stand and fight back, then it would be a victory, but that will never
>> happen. Thank you for the bit of kindness, but you do not deserve
>> their wrath.
>
>
> I need a tissue <sniff>
>
>> Most sincerely,
>>
>> Dennis Fetter
>
>
> You spelled your name wrong.

Well Dennis I've certainly read my share of Mini 500 stories over the
years.

As a lurker I can't make any comments because I like many have no
direct knowledge of the facts or issues regarding the history of RCI.

BUT -----> I will give you full credit for coming into this newsgroup
numerous time and presenting your point of view good bad or indifferent
in a rationale and logical manner, devoid of rants and cursing.

Hindsight being 20/20 vision I'm sure that if you had to do it over
again you would have done many things different.

Being a curious person I'd like two ask a few questions.

Since a lot of these machines suffered from engine failure regardles
of how they were supposed to be set up or run, what did the engine
manufacture say, or what was their position on these failure.

And why didn't you change engines to either a different manufacturer or
a higher horsepower. I'm not trying to put you on the spot because I
know there was a lot of controversy regarding the engines being used
and how they were being run at high rpm.

And if you don't mind..... what are you personally doing these days.

Greeter at Wal Mart, growing flowers at a greenhouse, running a
manufacturing plant, retired.....??????

I'm curious as you can see.

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your kind post, and taking the time to do so.

Shiver wrote:
> Well Dennis I've certainly read my share of Mini 500 stories over the
> years.
>
> As a lurker I can't make any comments because I like many have no
> direct knowledge of the facts or issues regarding the history of RCI.
>
> BUT -----> I will give you full credit for coming into this newsgroup
> numerous time and presenting your point of view good bad or indifferent
> in a rationale and logical manner, devoid of rants and cursing.


Thank you, I try.


> Hindsight being 20/20 vision I'm sure that if you had to do it over
> again you would have done many things different.


As with anything...

I feel that my biggest mistake was assuming anyone could build, operate
and maintain a kit helicopter. I was wrong there, very few can do so,
even with the certified helicopters. Our assembly manual was excellent.
Very nice exploded drawings, pictures and step by step instructions. The
common mistake that about 90% of the Mini-500 builders made was the
same; they didn't read the instructions and only followed the drawings
and pictures. Believe it or not, but true. This lead to many common
mistakes, from not heating the parts before installation to missing
parts. I can't tell you how many times an owner would come to the
factory with his Mini-500 for the free inspection we offered, only to
hold out his hand and ask why he had extra parts, and always after he
had 40 hours of flight time on his Mini-500. They most all came to the
factory after something was going wrong, and it was always a simple
overlooked procedure or something assembled wrong, and always after they
flew it until it broke. Some aircraft were so far out of balance that
they shock themselves apart in only 40 hours, and only because the
builder didn't bother to balance it, or did it wrong and ignored the
fact that he did it wrong.

On the other hand, we had some design problems that had to be addressed.
Since we were shipping 5 to 6 complete kits a week, and since the
average time for the builder to complete the kit and fly 40 hours was
about 4 months, we could have shipped 80 or more aircraft by the time we
received word of a problem a builder may be encountering. So by that
time, it's a major deal, not like Uglysport or Angle helicopters that
have only sent out a handful of aircraft over a long time. So this also
made the situation seem worse because it involved much more people.

What would I have done differently using hindsight? I would have tripled
the price of the Mini-500 and sold much less of them to people that can
actually afford to own a helicopter, and built it under our complete
supervision. Then I could have had a much smaller factory with less
overhead, and fewer customers that would have paid more, and maintenance
or improvement costs would have not mattered to them so much, because
they could afford it, like in the commercial aircraft field. It would
have just been too bad for someone that wanted a helicopter but couldn't
afford one, which the Mini-500 did fit the bill.


> Being a curious person I'd like two ask a few questions.


I would be honored.


> Since a lot of these machines suffered from engine failure regardles
> of how they were supposed to be set up or run, what did the engine
> manufacture say, or what was their position on these failure.


The engine manufacturer always read our reports, but they never
pretended to understand the needs of helicopters. They just supplied the
engines. They were concerned but satisfied with the reasons of the
failures, and supported our continuing effort to make the builder follow
instructions or find ways to make the engine more resilient to misuse.

As we learned and experimented, this was done with the mandatory
addition of the Power Enhancement Package system, "PEP" for short. That
was a tuned exhaust system that moved the power band up to operational
RPM's where a helicopter operated. That not only took care of the low
rotor RPM's that our low time pilots were having by increasing the
torque, but gave the helicopter more overall performance, and reduced
the exhaust back pressure which made it much less sensitive to EGT
change, and took away the need to rejet for density altitude changes.
And yet, even with all it offered, not even half of the Mini-500 owners
installed the PEP in their aircraft, and they continued having failures
due to the reasons above, while the PEP Mini-500's are still performing
well. You can led a horse ot water, but you can't make him drink.


> And why didn't you change engines to either a different manufacturer or
> a higher horsepower. I'm not trying to put you on the spot because I
> know there was a lot of controversy regarding the engines being used
> and how they were being run at high rpm.


Back in 1990, when I first started the Mini-500 project, there was only
one engine manufacturer that could provide 5 engines "new-in-the-box a
week", that had a performance history, and had service all around the
world. That was Rotax. The Mini-500 was designed around the 582 Rotax
engine. There was nothing else available. That is still as true today as
15 years ago.

The 582 Rotax is a good choice for the Mini-500. It has the power
necessary to do the job, at the price people will pay. The engine was
only ran at 6600 RPM's, which is still a 100% duty cycle for the engine
at 70% power reduction. Remember, the same engine in the snowmobile
industry will produce 110 hp at 8500 rpm's. Rotax simply derated the
engine for aircraft by lowering the RPM's. If you look at the power
charts of the snowmobile, the output HP at 6500 rpm is 64HP. No Rotax in
a Mini-500 has ever failed due to overexertion, if operated properly.
Only to improper installation or improper (or lack of) maintenance. It
is the finest light-aircraft engine ever made.

Also in the light-aircraft industry, 98% of all Rotax failures are due
to poor installation or inadequate maintenance. If you want a
bulletproof idiot-proof engine, buy an O-200.

The Rotax was, and is still the only choice of engine for the Mini-500
size helicopter, for the price people want to afford. Some people have
tried to replace the engine with something else, and all have failed.
Even the Solar APU engines will never work as intended. They burn more
fuel than you can carry, have no explosion proof protection, and the low
duty cycle makes them burn out quickly. They are not turbine engines,
they are merely self-propelled turbochargers meant to power generators
and pumps. To this day no one has been successful, except me with the
Rotax engine.


> And if you don't mind..... what are you personally doing these days.


I have a Research and Development business where I design and build
rotorcraft of various types for customers around the world. I'm doing
what I want, and that's not to have to deal with people any longer. I
have found that large businesses and governments have much more money to
spend.

If you would like, I would be happy to send you some pictures of my
previous accomplishment, the Star-Lite UAV helicopter, and the new
helicopter I'm designing and building for another customer.

Again, thank you for asking, and I hope I was able to answer your
questions effectively.

Most sincerely,

Dennis Fetters

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:

> On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 16:56:33 GMT, Dennis Fetters
> > wrote:
>
>
>
>>I rarely do so, and then only when it's factual. There is already some
>>history with Beavis and his out of line comments.
>>But, few else here hesitate to insult me. I don't see you standing up to
>>them. Why? double standards? I hope not.
>
>
> Don't know of any history between you two and frankly, I couuld give a
> rat's ass about any. That's between you two.


As it should be... Along with anything else not concerning you about me.

Dennis Fetters

Dennis Fetters wrote:
> Dave Jackson wrote:
>
>> B4RT wrote;
>>
>>> So unless you have 1000+ hours or [of] rotorcraft time..
>>
>>
>>
>> For the homebuilder; is that 1000 hours of flying experience, or 1000
>> hours
>> of maintenance experience, or perhaps 1000 hours of experience in
>> manufacturing and assembling rotorcraft?
>
>
>
> Dave, from my experience, that sounds about right.
>
> If Kit aircraft had the same laws backing them as certified aircraft,
> then people would by law have to build and maintain their aircraft to
> factory standards, and in most cases that would vastly reduce the
> accident rate.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Dennis Fetters

And, of course, complexity explains all of the deaths in your generation
of Air Command gyroplanes. They were banned in Britain, and your
successors, thankfully, have worked very hard to overcome the deadly
design flaws in your machines.

You are so full of **** I can't believe it. Go peddle your wares
somewhere else.

So, let's see where we're at...

The sappy letter (only for Jim, wink-wink) was indeed yours.

Next, you cry out
"You have absolutely no respect for anyone"
"the big difference between you and me is respect for others."

Shiver commends your
"rationale and logical manner, devoid of rants and cursing."

And your impeccably gracious reply contains:
"not like Uglysport or Angle helicopters"

Uncalled for, childish name calling against two other kit heli
manufacturers. See, folks?

>
> As for the guy that originally asked the question about places to buy
> Mini-500 parts, no, there is nowhere to purchase parts.
>
> Most sincerely,
> Dennis Fetters

Parts at Muna's Treasures on eBay
Certainly you ain't most sincere

wrote:
> So, let's see where we're at...
>
> The sappy letter (only for Jim, wink-wink) was indeed yours.


I was waiting for someone to say I wrote the letter that Jim posted.
Typical paranoia. Why don't you do a Google search, and you'll see he
has been posting before.


> Next, you cry out
> "You have absolutely no respect for anyone"
> "the big difference between you and me is respect for others."


Cloud, I said "(You) have absolutely no respect for anyone". You have
demonstrated that to us all, right?


> Shiver commends your
> "rationale and logical manner, devoid of rants and cursing."
>
> And your impeccably gracious reply contains:
> "not like Uglysport or Angle helicopters"


It's shameful how you try and pick works out of a statement to make it
sound like a different meaning. What I said is below:

"On the other hand, we had some design problems that had to be
addressed. Since we were shipping 5 to 6 complete kits a week, and
since the average time for the builder to complete the kit and fly 40
hours was about 4 months, we could have shipped 80 or more aircraft by
the time we received word of a problem a builder may be encountering. So
by that time, it's a major deal, not like Uglysport or Angle helicopters
that have only sent out a handful of aircraft over a long time. So this
also made the situation seem worse because it involved much more people."


> Uncalled for, childish name calling against two other kit heli
> manufacturers. See, folks?


When I was in competition with them selling a comparable helicopter, I
had a policy that we would not resort to badmouthing the competition. I
wish they would have had the same policy, professionalism and
politeness. Guess what Cloud, I'm not in the business anymore, and I'm
free to express my opinion, but unlike you I didn't trash the helicopter
or the designers with unfounded or false statements. If you think the
Mini-500 is ugly, fine, it's a factual statement and you have the right
to express it, it's a matter of preference. But, it's not right for you
to talk about performance when you have absolutely no knowledge about
what you're saying.

Dennis Fetters

P.S. I think some boats, automobiles and buildings are ugly too, in my
opinion.

wrote:

>
>
>>As for the guy that originally asked the question about places to buy
>>Mini-500 parts, no, there is nowhere to purchase parts.
>>
>>Most sincerely,
>>Dennis Fetters
>
>
> Parts at Muna's Treasures on eBay
> Certainly you ain't most sincere


I'm sure since you're doing the research, you have seen that
munastreasures offers sales assistance to people, and they have sold
many items for others, including aircraft and other aviation related parts.

Why would you assume something sinister about them selling Mini-500
parts for somebody? Anybody? The owner sold me the transmissions, engine
and other parts for a project where I needed them, and asked
Munastreasures to sell the rest of the aircraft for him. He is selling
it all because he had developed health problems after he purchased it,
and it was just sitting around. What are you referring to as it is not
sincere, our what business of it is yours anyway?

I told the guy the truth. Don't buy a Mini-500 because there are no
parts available. You didn't see me saying, "sure, sure, buy that
Mini-500, I'm sure you'll find the other parts".

Most sincerely,

Dennis Fetters

Peter Wendell wrote:
> Dennis Fetters wrote:
>
>> Dave Jackson wrote:
>>> For the homebuilder; is that 1000 hours of flying experience, or 1000
>>> hours
>>> of maintenance experience, or perhaps 1000 hours of experience in
>>> manufacturing and assembling rotorcraft?
>>
>> Dave, from my experience, that sounds about right.
>>
>> If Kit aircraft had the same laws backing them as certified aircraft,
>> then people would by law have to build and maintain their aircraft to
>> factory standards, and in most cases that would vastly reduce the
>> accident rate.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Dennis Fetters
>
>
> And, of course, complexity explains all of the deaths in your generation
> of Air Command gyroplanes. They were banned in Britain, and your
> successors, thankfully, have worked very hard to overcome the deadly
> design flaws in your machines.


I have posted about this before, in case you didn't read. I went to
Britain myself and set a person up as our Air Command dealer. Some
mouths after I had left, that dealer took it upon himself, without my
knowledge, to turn his Commander customers loose after only 5 hours of
training, even after I told them before they need a minimum of 20 hours,
and then strict supervision afterwards.

The result was some of his low time customers tried to fly on very windy
days, and that wind caused circumstances that exceeded their ability to
fly the gyroplane with the experience they possessed, causing them to
loose control and crash.

Afterwards, the dealer was contacted by the CAA and asked why he would
release his customers only after 5 hours of training. The CAA also sent
me a letter asking what we recommended the training time should be. The
dealer asked me to tell the CAA 5 hours, but I refused, and told them
what we told the dealer originally. The dealer felt betrayed, and to
avoid legal circumstances left the country.

The CAA will not allow a kit aircraft to fly without dealer
representation, and had no choice but to ground the fleet. Before all
this, I was made an offer to sell the Commander business. At that same
time I was already working on the Mini-500, and decided to sell the
Commander line. If I would not have sold the Commander line, then I
would have took the time to reestablish a new dealer in Britain and help
with the crash investigation, and the fleet would not have been
grounded. But, since I sold the company, it was up to the new owners to
do that, and they never did.

So, the meaning of your statement above is not actually in the light you
tried to present it. As a matter of fact, you can go to any gyroplane
air show and see original Air Command gyroplanes that are 25 years old,
still flying with the newest designs, and keeping up or staying ahead.
There is no better testament of the design than that.


> You are so full of **** I can't believe it. Go peddle your wares
> somewhere else.


Maybe so. But I'm not here belittling myself by cursing and name
calling, unless the shoe fits. I'm not here making statements out of
context to portray a false meaning, like you are.

So, be careful Peter, even if you're making the standards you are still
being judged. Where will it put you on your totem poll?

Dennis Fetters

Dennis Fetters wrote:
>
> Now, you mentioned above "that's not the first time I've read something
> like that from Dennis". So put your money where your mouth is and prove
> your statement, post something I did write to back up your comments.
>
> Dennis Fetters

"I'll be winning the apeal soon. Afterwards, I'll be filling against
you to collect the money you took from my personal account, plus about
$10,400 of expenses and attorney fees. At the same time, I'm going to
file a breach of contract, and sue you for two years of rent payments
I've had to loose because I was turned down to buy a house due to my
Credit-Report, plus the equity I lost and from the price of houses
going up. I'll go after anything else I can get compensated for too.
My new attorney has figured it to add up to about $121,400 so far. But
I got to give him one third. We have seen by your credit report that
we'll have no problem collecting. I'll soon be having a judgment placed
on your Credit-Report."

knock it off.. you sound like old ****in women.. im new here and I'd prefer
if you would act like men and lay the cards on the table.. these engines
seize up or what.???. gonna get in one and head out over water? dont split
hairs.. lawyer talk over minutiae save it for the he said she said daytime
soap ****sticks
"Ron Snipes" > wrote in message
news:oQqEe.56903$iU.50657@lakeread05...
> Now another Revolution Mini 500 appears on Ebay.
>
> I stand corrected on a couple of points by MR. Dennis Fetters. I just
> recall back in the late 90's when this newsgroup posted almost daily
> "Dennis Fetters Sightings" Mini 500 discussions were lively.
> Ron Snipes
> New Bern, NC
>
>
> "planeman" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>>I see Mini-500 helicopters selling on eBay, but much less these days.
>> Is there someone in the marketplace that can sell me parts if I was
>> compelled to buy the incomplete one selling now?
>>
>
>

rudolph berthold wrote:
> knock it off.. you sound like old ****in women.. im new here and I'd prefer
> if you would act like men and lay the cards on the table.. these engines
> seize up or what.???. gonna get in one and head out over water? dont split
> hairs.. lawyer talk over minutiae save it for the he said she said daytime
> soap ****sticks

knock yourself out and head out to fish feeding frenzy

wrote:
> Dennis Fetters wrote:
> >
> > Now, you mentioned above "that's not the first time I've read something
> > like that from Dennis". So put your money where your mouth is and prove
> > your statement, post something I did write to back up your comments.
> >
> > Dennis Fetters
>
> "I'll be winning the apeal soon. Afterwards, I'll be filling against
> you to collect the money you took from my personal account, plus about
> $10,400 of expenses and attorney fees. At the same time, I'm going to
> file a breach of contract, and sue you for two years of rent payments
> I've had to loose because I was turned down to buy a house due to my
> Credit-Report, plus the equity I lost and from the price of houses
> going up. I'll go after anything else I can get compensated for too.
> My new attorney has figured it to add up to about $121,400 so far. But
> I got to give him one third. We have seen by your credit report that
> we'll have no problem collecting. I'll soon be having a judgment placed
> on your Credit-Report."

"I'll tell you what. I'll make a one time offer, take it or leave it.
Take this deal now, because it's not there after I win the appeal.
You withdraw the judgment and keep the money you took from me, and the
matter will be dropped and I won't come after you for damages or breach
of contract.
You shouldn't have sued me personally, it was a corporate matter. The
war fought by Fred Stewart was a dirty one, and we lost, plain and
simple. I do promise if I can ever get strong enough to sue him for my
personal losses, I would give the money to the corporation to give back
to the customers, but I can't do that with you around my neck.
I know your instincts to resist this offer is high because like me,
your a fighter and I respect that. But the fact is that even if you
win, you will never get another dime. People in this state call it
judgment proof.
I am placed in a position where I have to fight you until I win, but
you are in a stronger position simply because you have the choice to
end it all now. Let's end it here and stop loosing money. Your the
winner even if you take this deal, I've lost everything from the RHCI
ordeal and you."

> As with anything...
>
> I feel that my biggest mistake was assuming anyone could build, operate
> and maintain a kit helicopter. I was wrong there, very few can do so,
> even with the certified helicopters. Our assembly manual was excellent.
> Very nice exploded drawings, pictures and step by step instructions. The
> common mistake that about 90% of the Mini-500 builders made was the
> same; they didn't read the instructions and only followed the drawings
> and pictures. Believe it or not, but true. This lead to many common
> mistakes, from not heating the parts before installation to missing
> parts. I can't tell you how many times an owner would come to the
> factory with his Mini-500 for the free inspection we offered, only to
> hold out his hand and ask why he had extra parts, and always after he
> had 40 hours of flight time on his Mini-500. They most all came to the
> factory after something was going wrong, and it was always a simple
> overlooked procedure or something assembled wrong, and always after they
> flew it until it broke. Some aircraft were so far out of balance that
> they shock themselves apart in only 40 hours, and only because the
> builder didn't bother to balance it, or did it wrong and ignored the
> fact that he did it wrong.

== This is probably true of all kit a/c, it's just more critical in
helicopters. I
follow the Rotorway forums and they have the same problem with
their kits.

>
> What would I have done differently using hindsight? I would have tripled
> the price of the Mini-500 and sold much less of them to people that can
> actually afford to own a helicopter, and built it under our complete
> supervision. Then I could have had a much smaller factory with less
> overhead, and fewer customers that would have paid more, and maintenance
> or improvement costs would have not mattered to them so much, because
> they could afford it, like in the commercial aircraft field. It would
> have just been too bad for someone that wanted a helicopter but couldn't
> afford one, which the Mini-500 did fit the bill.

== Price seems to be directly related to helicopter accidents. When the
Robinson
R22 first came out untrained pilots could suddenly afford a helicpter.
R22s were raining from the sky before Robinson started mandating proper
training.

> Back in 1990, when I first started the Mini-500 project, there was only
> one engine manufacturer that could provide 5 engines "new-in-the-box a
> week", that had a performance history, and had service all around the
> world. That was Rotax. The Mini-500 was designed around the 582 Rotax
> engine. There was nothing else available. That is still as true today as
> 15 years ago.
>
> The 582 Rotax is a good choice for the Mini-500. It has the power
> necessary to do the job, at the price people will pay. The engine was
> only ran at 6600 RPM's, which is still a 100% duty cycle for the engine
> at 70% power reduction. Remember, the same engine in the snowmobile
> industry will produce 110 hp at 8500 rpm's. Rotax simply derated the
> engine for aircraft by lowering the RPM's. If you look at the power
> charts of the snowmobile, the output HP at 6500 rpm is 64HP. No Rotax in
> a Mini-500 has ever failed due to overexertion, if operated properly.
> Only to improper installation or improper (or lack of) maintenance. It
> is the finest light-aircraft engine ever made.
>
> Also in the light-aircraft industry, 98% of all Rotax failures are due
> to poor installation or inadequate maintenance. If you want a
> bulletproof idiot-proof engine, buy an O-200.
>
> The Rotax was, and is still the only choice of engine for the Mini-500
> size helicopter, for the price people want to afford. Some people have
> tried to replace the engine with something else, and all have failed.
> Even the Solar APU engines will never work as intended. They burn more
> fuel than you can carry, have no explosion proof protection, and the low
> duty cycle makes them burn out quickly. They are not turbine engines,
> they are merely self-propelled turbochargers meant to power generators
> and pumps. To this day no one has been successful, except me with the
> Rotax engine.

== Rotax is the engine of choice for most Ultralights and it performs well
and
reliably as long as it's installed and maintained properly. Would I
personally
fly with one in a light helicopter? Probably not, but that's just me.

Dear Ron,
The fact of the matter is that no Mini-500 has crashed due to improper design or bad flight characteristics. The only accidents have strictly been from pilot error, improper assembly or owner modifications. As all helicopters ever designed and flying, the Mini-500 has had a few problems from design oversights on my part, but none has caused an accident, and all were corrected and the upgrades made available to the owners for free or at our cost.

...

In fact, the Mini-500 auturotated as well or better than most helicopters, as demonstrated at air shows all over the world, and by customers that built and operated Mini-500's according to factory specifications.

I have never flown a Mini 500.

Thank you for qualifying your statements. There is nothing wrong with
commenting on a helicopter you have no experience with, but still, the
statements need to be corrected. I hope I have helped your better
understanding on the topic.

Most sincerely,
Dennis Fetters

Thanks for a very nice posting, Dennis. Although I have never had the opportunity to fly a Mini-500, I wouldn't hesitate to do so, given the opportunity. I think there are many people out there who love to pick on the Mini-500 simply based on heresay. The facts you provided should help clarify things a bit.

I often just don't understand why people are so hard on you and the Mini-500. They don't seem to pick on B.J. Schramm, even though he unfortunately died in his own machine.

Accidents happen, and they happen to ALL brands of helicopters. Most of them are not related to the airframe or engine, but to the pilot's skills (or lack thereof). I have a few hundred hours in Robinson R-22s and I still hate doing autos in them because everything happens so fast, whereas autos in the Hughes (Schweizer) machines are so slow and easy.

Anyway, just thought I'd say "Hi." Nice hearing from you.

Ed Newbold, CFII ASEL
Columbus, OH
http://enewbold.com/