There is no comparison between the Rotorways and the Mini500. The Rotorway is pretty mature and is well engineered, and
the I think everyone knows the story of the Mini. Rotorway grew beyond the management capabilities of Scram (IMHO), so
he is now developing this Helicycle. I've got to say the one I saw flying was one smooth running machine...

--
Dan D.



..
"Gig Giacona" wrote in message ...

"pac plyer" wrote in message
om...
(Badwater Bill) wrote
snip good stuff

In the end, personally speaking...my life is not worth 1 second in an
experimental helicopter. I will never fly in one or test fly one
again, no matter who approves it.

I even worry all the time in the Robinsons. They are just so complex
and so much can go wrong, if you survive a few thousand hours, you've
done real well.

I think, if you screw with any of them long enough (from jet rangers,
to MD-500's and especially experimentals), you'll get bit.


BWB

Man am I glad you're the one that said this, because that's exactly
how I feel. Got friends who fly these things and it worries me. My
friend Kirk is breaking in a beautiful Rotoway that he sunk 60K into.
It's stunning. Looks like a million dollars. But this maiden
experimental flight was on his solo signoff (he did have a lot of
factory instruction.) Scared the **** out of all of us. I talked to
him and think I convinced him to break it in slowly, don't do
aggressive turns against the asphalt etc, at least for a while. Now
his op looks a little more conservative. But there are other worries.
Every 50 hours he has to lash the valves! At 1500 hrs he has to
THROW away the entire airframe. Can that be right? Man! I was
thinking of building one, but not any more.

pacplyer
nervous fixed-wing pilot

This brings up an excellent point. I have done zero research on the issue
but pacplyer's story is hardly the first I've heard of Rotoways and
Mini-500s that first flights were done by very low time pilots including
those that have just been signed off for solo.

I got my PP R-H in '96 after 17 years and 300 hours of fixed wing time and
there is no way in hell I was ready to be the test pilot in a newly built
helicopter. Helicopters are hard to fly. Much harder than fixed wing than
just about any fixed wing aircraft.

I have little doubt that if not most at least many of the accidents with
armature built experimental helicopters are because the builders had not a
bit of business being helicopter test pilots.