MD 500 C , D , E or Notar

[jetstranger]

My company is looking to purchase a light helicopter for deer capture and utility work . The helicopter needs to be flown up to 10 000 feet D/A but will normally be operating at sea level and 5000 feet . Can someone who has experience with the 500 give me some insight to what model we should look at ?

Cheers !

[Boudreaux Bob]

D or E....based upon Price.

[Helilog56]

The D is all you need...many out there available and parts support is pretty good...:ok:

[EMS R22]

I agree a good D model is all you need if you working mainly below 5k.

I have worked all of them and rate the Notar very highly , Id look at a 520 with 600 running gear , they are a good rig in the bush.

Don't bother with a C model!

If money wasn't an issue get a F model!! C30 is a great engine. Get some Van Horn blades on when they certified and you'll have an Astar beater :)

[Helinaut]

High altitude...stay away from the NOTAR

[RVDT]

Plenty of response from 500 drivers but no response from deer capture pilots.

"C" OK 6000' and below.

"D" or ("E" is the same) bit better than "C" although be careful with heavier weight and harder to muscle around.

NOTAR - Don't bother.

530 F or FF - no range/endurance. Probably a bit lethargic on governor response for deer capture. I would caution against governor issues and stall on a 530. Has bitten a few people.

"C" or "D/E" is your best option. "C" is possibly the second choice.

[jetstranger]

RVDT when you say " harder to muscle around " does that mean the 5 blades feels heavier on the cyclic compared to the 4 blades ?
I have never flown a 500 and I want to know if it's a nice machine to spend the day in , does it vibrate , does it really cruise at 120 kts max weight ? How much speed will I lose with a cargo pod ?
Can this machine be used as a legitimate VIP transport , ie: air con , leather ,bose 20's ?

Thanks' for the input !

[Efirmovich]

Get a Squirrel and stop pr**king about.


E.

[BigMike]

If the main work will be capture, then as already said, a D model will fit the bill. An E model may be the go if you have taller pilots (an extra adjsutment in the pedals)
A C model will be ok for hunting, just less performance.

A Notar would only be a choice if in a noise sensitive area, and a contract requirement.

Squirrel's too big, and too expensive.

The Kiwi's figured out what worked best years ago... ;)

[Evil Twin]

"Can this machine be used as a legitimate VIP transport , ie: air con , leather ,bose 20's ?"

No, not really. The 500 is more like a Ferrari 2 seats a fun Jet Pack with a big boot or for working hard in the bush with no frills. Find yourself a D Model and you'll not go wrong.

[Hughes500]

Jetstranger

I run 500 D and E's
D is the best, on low skids and no pod will cruise all day at 130 kts using about 120 litres jet an hour. You need one with a fargo aux tank giving a 2.6 hour endurance at 130 kts. It will pick up full fuel and 4 big blokes or about 3300 lbs when using a hook ( normal mauw is 3000, 3550 on a hook) but find above 3300 rrpm starts to droop badly !
Pretty robust machine and cheap to run, go no where near anything French unless you want some serious big bills, last annual and half a G check on a 350 was £ 95 k !!!!!
500 not a good pax machine, however we use them in UK as they are good for taking 1 to 2 people on charters (or 4 pleasure flying 10 to 30 min trips). As the machine is about 20% quicker than an R44 / 206 / EC 120 it is cheaper for the punter or you have a greater margin
As for comfort get your own seats made I had heated seat pads put in, lovely on a cold day when long lining but also helps with numbness ( it only cost £ 70 at local car trimmer ) I then sit in for up to 5 hours then hour break with another 3 to 4 to finish the day ! The D is more comfortable as you sit further away from the cyclic than an E model. Yes E has 4 adjustments on the pedals but you sit an inch further forward due to inertial real being at the base of e model seat so they have to push it forward, therefore losing the extra pedal adjustment. You will also find that the larger pilot ( fatter one ! ) risks running out of rear cylic in an E due to sitting further forward. Also vis is better in a D due to the non T panel that an E has. Hope this helps but best of all bloody fun to fly once you are used to trimming to take way cylic forces and you will need to use your feet to keep her in balance !

[EMS R22]

D model!!

NZ had 100s of them at one stage mainly on deer and bush work.

[BigMike]

... and the D model is fairly handy to shoot out off... by yourself...;)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a3/Micksphotos/JK.jpg

[Hughes500]

Big Mike

Now that's just showing off !

[Evil Twin]

Bruce Harvey in the picture isn't it?

[Jungledog]

Naa that would be Joe Keeley, a lot of the guy's back then would drop their shooter off after doing a run to gut deer, so while waiting for them to finnish, would go shoot one or two themselves.

[BigMike]

Yep, it's an old pic of Joe Keeley lining up the Armalite on a running deer. From the book "The Chopper Boys"....

[Evil Twin]

Knew I'd seen it before. I'll best dig the book out for another read.

Cheers Team