Helicopters R Us

[RoverGS]

What a great shot! I used to fly that same route in the same model aircraft nearly every Thursday enroute to CT.

Originally Posted by Kav

Agreed, very cool stuff.

One from New York City yesterday:

[Hedge36]

Hey, Kav: any word on whether or not there's still any noise about transitioning to HGU56s from the -84s?

[Vagabond_Explorer]

Nice Privately owned Huey in Australia.

[Kurt V]

Couple of pictures from back in the day:

[GSPeP]

Some more 2011 Miramar Airshow

[GSPeP]

[Shadow10]

Originally Posted by Vagabond_Explorer

Nice Privately owned Huey in Australia.

Who has the change to keep this flying?

Any idea where it lives?

[Hay Ewe]

the Huey in AUS
the number 277 on the side indicates that its used mainly for fire fighting with a bambi bucket set up. For some reason they have all the aircraft fire fighting have numbers on them - I dont know why.

its on high skids and has a hook - so it would use a bambi bucket, the skids are not heigh enough really to use a tank underneath - it may fit but I don't know.

Its also a single so in the restricted category.

I beleive the fire contracts to be quite lucrative - have never been involved in them and my company doesn't do them either.

if you put a good paint job on any aircraft, keep it clean and hangared, its going to look REAL good for a long time. Ours, we work them, they don't live in hangers - most only see a hangar when they come in for maintenance. Sure Rotors are not cheap, but on the right contracts and low overheads, they a can make a $$$

Hay Ewe

[Elvis70]

I was in stationed in the Bay Area in the Navy and used to go to that Miramar Air Show. When my kids are a bit older I need to take them to see that.

[v8toilet]

Originally Posted by Vagabond_Explorer

Nice Privately owned Huey in Australia.

Ahhh the sound of freedom.

[Vagabond_Explorer]

Originally Posted by Shadow10

Who has the change to keep this flying?

Any idea where it lives?

To answer your 2 questions, "Many rich folks in Australia" and "NSW". Relatively speaking, helicopters here have never been cheaper. AUD has now substantially appreciated against the USD by over 100% over the past 10 years. I remember when 47 cents US bought 1 AUD. World-wide slow down causing prices of helos to fall. Manufacturers finding it harder to eye gouge governments because strangely, they now want value for money.

[Hedge36]

Originally Posted by Vagabond_Explorer

Manufacturers finding it harder to eye gouge governments because strangely, they now want value for money.

Well, after Australia screwed itself on the H2 and MRH90 deals, it's not hard to imagine why

[Vagabond_Explorer]

Originally Posted by Hedge36

Well, after Australia screwed itself on the H2 and MRH90 deals, it's not hard to imagine why

You're right of course. We have some very low IQ folks working at Defence Procurement and Defence Material Organisation, coupled with poor work ethics and bad culture. Nonetheless, I think the days of charging for a $500 hammer or a $1.2bn Seasprite fleet that can't physically fly, may be behind us (I hope).

[Hedge36]

Originally Posted by Vagabond_Explorer

You're right of course. We have some very low IQ folks working at Defence Procurement and Defence Material Organisation, coupled with poor work ethics and bad culture. Nonetheless, I think the days of charging for a $500 hammer or a $1.2bn Seasprite fleet that can't physically fly, may be behind us (I hope).

One can only hope. That said, having a soft spot for H2s I'd be happy to take one off the guv's hands.

[Vagabond_Explorer]

Originally Posted by Hedge36

One can only hope. That said, having a soft spot for H2s I'd be happy to take one off the guv's hands.

Each year I am a guest lecturer at a public school, teaching their Y12 Engineering students helicopter aerodynamics. The principal is keen to get an un-flyable real helicopter (say a timex machine or an accident write off) as a teaching aid for its students and to inspire them into perhaps becoming engineers or pilots. When the Navy decided its $1.2bn cost over-run for its Seasprite fleet was unacceptable, I helped him write a letter to the Chief of Defence Force, offering $750 (that was all we could raise) for one its Seasprites that they were scrapping anyway.

Not surprising they ignored our many follow-up calls - perhaps they were embarrassed by the sheer waste of taxpayers' dollars that went into that small fleet??