Rick Stitt strikes again... Please Read.

.....from R.L. Darling


Mr. Chitwood,

I have been following Rick Stitts misadventures for over a year now.
I have a RotorWay Exec and a Helicycle helicopter and have two friends
with Mini-500's that have the Stitt touch on them. One has had the
re-built cones and transmission and the other has the tranny mods
done.

The first clue we had of improper work was the cones...so sloppy I
refused to help the owner reinstall them on the aircraft...then his
"re-built trans" locked up. Upon dissassembly , we found the
bearings
to be thickly encrusted with rust as if they had been submerged in
salt
water for many years.

The other ship has been grounded and I won't know the extent of the
damage untill I have a chance to tear it down and inspect it closely.

The first ships owner is Mr. Wayne Qualls....he is a knowledgeable
pilot
and has done his own turbine conversion which has proved successful.
I
know that he would like to talk to you about Mr. Stitts so he won't
mind
if I let you have his phone number....he too has been bamboozled out
of
thousands of dollars that he can not afford.

The number is xxxxxxxxxxx...this is in Irving, Texas and believe
me....he will welcome your call. I can personally vouch that he
sent
the parts to Mr. Stitts and personally inspected the trans, and
bearings
after it locked up ...the tranny had less than 15 minutes on it as it
sat
in the hanger , unused-full of oil- for several months. I too am in
belief that if any of these modified Mini-500's are allowed to fly
that
we will have multiple fatalities.

Please give him a call.....

Thanks for keeping people informed...

R.L. Darling
Dallas, Texas

Thanks for the incoming comments. We need to stop this guy before
people start dying again. Stitt's turbine startup sequence is WAY
wrong. His method will cost you $$$$$ in turbines , as his method
guarantees hot starts, or a least unnecessary high temps.
D. Chitwood
N500XT