....to get a little stick time? I'm a newbie (about 180 hours split
between the 300C and the R22) and I would dearly like to buy a
helicopter. No justification at all -- just a huge fascination with
helicopters. I think my short list includes a Robinson or a Bell 47.
But I've never flown a Bell and don't know a lot about them, such as
real operating costs, onerous ADs, availability of parts and mechanics
who really know them (in northern California). I'm not even sure where
to start. I did take a 1-hour lesson in an F28 but the instructor
seemed like a goof, and I'm not sure I got a good intro to that ship.
I'm in the SF Bay Area at the moment, though I will end up in far
northern California in a couple years.

Cheers,

Mike