Most reliable homebuilt helicopter?

"Gig 601XL Builder" wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote in message
news:lA1Ue.27423$7f5.17665@okepread01...

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
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The Rotorways seem to be the best designed kit helicopters, but I think
"Best kit helicopter" goes in the same category as "friendliest NAZI".
The guys in the hangar next door to me have built, bought, converted,
sold, and/or owned 5 Rotorways, and all total, I've seen the skids off
the ground probably 10 minutes or less. They used to trailer them to
fly-in's under 50 miles away.

KB


If this is true, and it may well be, how do they keep selling the things?

At least two of them were turbine conversions, as seen in a Sport Aviation
article a couple of years ago. Someone is always willing to believe that if
you hang a turbine on an airframe, it'll make a silk purse out of a sow's
ear. Unfortunately, the turbine conversion for the Rotorway is very
unproven. Probably under 500 flight hours (maybe as low as 250 flight hours)
among all 5 or 10 that have flown. The two I'm aware of both had unplanned
landings due to engine/drivetrain problems within the first 30 hours or so.
On one, the driveshaft for the tail rotor failed at 2' off the ground, and
on the other, the engine lost power resulting in an off-airport landing. My
acquaintances still own at least one airframe (maybe two).

Again, people are willing to believe what they want to believe. The dream
of a reliable homebuilt helicopter (turbine or otherwise) is still an
unfulfilled dream, but there are people who really, really want to
believe... For other examples of similar unfounded optimism, think of the
BD-5, the Prescott Pusher, and a host of other projects that sounded good,
but proved otherwise.

KB