Mini-500 parts selling on eBay

"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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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