As a former grunt, I’ve always enjoyed riding in choppers. Most of my frequent-flier miles were in Blackhawks, but I also enjoyed riding in the old stand-bys such as Chinooks and Hueys. I really enjoyed the UH-60 Blackhawk the best b/c the ride is so incredibly smooth. I also like the smell of choppers and aviation fuel. I’ve never ridden a CH-46 or Seaknight, but I’ve heard they’ve outlived their usefulness and are very much like riding a CH-47 Chinook. What are your favorite choppers to fly or ride in and what did you like about them the best?
My very limited experience has made me appreciate the Hughes 500 - lots of power, unusually smooth (said to be due to the 5-bladed rotor).
I’ve only used two helicopters: The Robinson R-22 Beta and the Schweizer 300CB.
I really, really like the way the R-22 flies. It’s very quick and responsive. IMO, it glides better than the 300CB. It’s economical (for a helicopter anyway), and it looks great. A real joy to fly.
The 300CB has a “real” cyclic stick; not a T-bar. I prefer the traditional stick to the T-bar, myself. I also like the “coolie hat” electric trim. The Robbo has a knob that you can pull on or push off – “right trim”, they call it. It’s near the mixture control, which is why there is a plastic sleeve that fits on the mixture control – you don’t want to inadvertantly pull it in flight! No such problems with the 300CB. The electric trim is nice. The 300CB is also roomier and more comfortable because your right shoulder isn’t scrunched up when the door is on.
IMO the 300CB handles like a truck. Very solid feeling to it. It has a greater usefull load than the R-22 as well. I feel the visibility out of the cockpit is superior on the 300CB.
But the R-22 has some luggage capacity. Very little, under the seats; but you can put a small back with a change of clothes in it, or a small picnic lunch. The only storage on the 300CB is the “glove box”, which isn’t very useful.
The R-22 needs to be rebuilt every 2,00 hours. The engine, transmission and rotor blades all come due at the same time. A complete rebuild (new blades, rebuilt transmission, factory-rebuilt engine swap, new paint and upholstery) costs at least $70,000. The 300CB has a staggered rebuild schedule. Time limited components do not all have to be replaced/rebuilt at once. For example, the rotor blades have a service life of 4,000 hours. But there are three of them, as opposed to the Robbo’s two.
So it comes down to this: Interior space vs. “luggage” space, “all at once” TBO vs. staggered TBO, and Higher useful load vs. sporty handling.
I looked into buying a Hughes 269A (the 300CB is certified under the 269 type certificate) that was older than I am a couple of years ago, but insurance was exhorbitantly high. IIRC, the insurance on the R-22 was slightly less. A used R-22 will cost twice as much as a used (very old) 269A.
If I were to buy a helicopter, I would probably choose the R-22. I like the things I mentioned about the 300CB, but I really enjoy flying the R-22 more.
Now for the fantasy…
If I had loads of money, I’d like to have an SH-60 Seah Hawk. Second choice would be an H-60 Black Hawk. Third choice would be a UH-1 of some sort (preferably a newer twin-engine model, though the UH-1B has its charms). Next would be a Bell LongRanger or JetRanger. (If I didn’t have loads of money, I’d seriously consider the Robinson R-44 Raven over a JetRanger because of the cost/performance/maintenance ratio.)
I don’t pilot helicoptors, have just ridden in a few.
My first rides were in a buddy’s R22. Kind of cozy. Lots of vibration.
Then my buddy bought a 300 something Maybe what Johnny described? Seats three, three blades - smoother ride
The husband and I got some decent aerial photos out of both.
I did get a ride in a Huey thanks to the local sheriff. Don’t remember that much about the ride, other than my feet didn’t reach the floor and I was somewhat mortified that someone else was going to be flying the airplane home. I was a little busy strategizing for my upcoming >cough< discussion with the FAA. But that’s a different story…
Oh that’s interesting that law enforcement would be using a Huey, as the Huey is basically a military helicopter that is almost completely phased out now.
If a local Sheriff’s dept. were using a Huey that is definitely a strange choice, however, it could’ve been a Army hand-me down or may have been acquired through some military-sales program. But IMO, that is highly unlikely, as spare parts for old birds like that are hard to come by – so I’ve ben told by Army Blackhawk mechanics.
On the other hand, I’ve seen many law enforcement and Air Resuce agencies in the U.S. use the Bell 412 helicopter, which from a distance looks almost exactly like a UH-1H Huey.
From what I can tell, the primary difference between the two is that the Huey has two blades while the 412 has four. The 412, which is also used by many foreign military, can also seat more people and has more antennae on the roof.
As an aside, I’ve always wondered why the U.S. military doesn’t acquire the 412. I personally think it would be a suitable replacement for the USMC’s aging CH-46E Sea Knight fleet, especially in consideration of the Osprey’s spectacular failures. My marine friends have always complained about the Seaknight being a veritable bucket of bolts. (Perhaps political considerations prevail especially in light of non-competitive practices related to Boeing’s military sales program having been exposed earlier this year.)
I’ve also seen some Air-Sea Rescue units here in the ROK (and also the USCG) use the French-made Aerospatiale Dauphin. I participated in a mountain rescue last year where we helped extract a civilian mountain climber by helo off a mountain with the help of an ROK ASR Dauphin based out of Kimpo. What a tremendous bird, and so incredibly stable for those type of contingencies (at least it seemed to me on the ground).
Btw, can anyone tell us what the difference is between the Bell LongRanger and the *Bell Jet Ranger[I/]? To me, they look exactly the same. Is there a difference in range, avionics, or is it something else? (Perhaps Johnny L.A. can shed some light on this.) I ask b/c it’s impossible to tell the difference between these two helos simply by looking at them.
In the military, the Jet Ranger is called the TH-57. I’ve never ridden in one, but apparently they’re used exclusively as familiarization trainers in the USN and USMC. Here’s the FAS Link for other rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft in the U.S. military’s inventory.
Actually, the military sold off a number of demilitarized Hueys some years back, and many were picked up by fire and police departments. Here a picture of one operated the The Monroe County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Dept, from a nice site I’ve contributed to from time to time:
http://www.helispot.com/photos/03074.html
Re: the OP, I’m a rider, not a pilot, but have a bunch of hours in choppers. Best ride ever was in the right front seat of a Hughes 500, going up the Amazon from Iquitos, Peru to a drilling location upriver.
Favorite ride overall for me is the Aerospatiale Dauphin, but for some strange reason I have a certain affection for the Bell 212/412 series, despite cabins about as luxurious as the bed of a pickup truck, and despite the fact that every one I ever rode in felt like it was about five minutes away from shaking itself to pieces.
All I know is that everyone around the airport calls the sheriff’s chopper “the Huey”. I don’t often see it on the ground, so I’m not sure how many blades it has.
Basically, the JetRanger is a five-seater, and the LongRanger is a seven-seater. Look for an extra window between the fore and aft doors. (There are other differences as well; but having flown neither, I can’t comment on them without doing a search.)
Incidentally, here is some eye-candy for rotorheads.
It’s fairly common. They get recertified in the Public category and are given/sold to government agencies, law enforcement, etc.
You wanna know what’s really interesting? An aircraft operated in the public category does not have to be flown by a certified pilot, or maintained to the standards set forth in the FARs. They don’t have to have annual inspections. They aren’t subject to ADs. They don’t even have to have a registration certificate or airworthiness certificate.
Sounds like a good deal to me. Or a scary one.
I don’t fly flingwings, but I’ve always heard that the best-flying helicopter from a pure piloting perspective is the MD-500.