Quote:
Originally Posted by t6dpilot
Helicopters are extremely expensive to own and operate. Not for the faint of heart. Plus, they have the glide path of a chrome crowbar. Sorry Seahawk, just kidding…
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Trust me, nothing you wrote is wrong, Glen as well
A few things, Tadd. Forget the KA. I have flown one, tremendous POS: Trabant level engineering, manufacturing and maintenance hogs as a little pepper in your Gumbo. The paperwork alone and logistics will be way, way to onerous.
PM Afterburn concerning Bell's - he knows them well.
What I would do, and I have over 1000 hours fixed wing time, almost 4k in helos, is start with fixed-wing lessons to get smart on all the airman-ship basics MUCH cheaper than in a helo.
Also, what do you envision either using of enjoying flying: Solo, with others?
If you enjoy that, then find a helicopter school that uses Robinson helicopters as their training aircraft. I say this for a few reasons. One, it will be cheaper than most other helicopter basic level trainers and, two, the Robinson will be in the performance realm of a kit or manufactured helo you can own. I have flown the R22 which is a great example of what you will be looking for.
Do not buy any aircraft for at least two years. You will need to get smart on turbine versus piston power, maintenance and repair costs, component life, etc., etc.
I went through this 25 years ago...I even have a helicopter permit to land on the farm as well as a grass runway permit, both long expired.
I decided to either rent or pay friends gas to let me fly with them. For helos, the closest folks to me fly older Bell Jet Rangers, which I flew in helo school in the Navy. I take an hour flight lesson twice a year with an instructor. The Jet Ranger is a really nice old helo, not cheap but rentable for my bi-annual trips down the helo rabbit hole.
Enjoy.
BTW:
https://rotorxaircraft.com/personal-helicopter-kit-ax600-turbo/
One more edit: Dantilla is right on the money.