Originally Posted by
Bell_ringer
I wouldn't choose my Doctor, Lawyer or accountant on cost.
I certainly wouldn't choose my training on that basis either.
It is unsustainable and corners get cut (or at best sharpened), it's great until it ends in tears.
Price is how people are wired in this consumer-driven world and it is putting many a business in the toilet.
I did not chose my school based on cost, nor did I chose it based on which model of helicopter they used. There were two schools in my area, the chief pilot at the first school rubbed me the wrong way, so I went to the second school. The fact that they flew Robby was incidental.
After I became a pilot, I moved back to California to work with my father. When I looked for a place to rent a helicopter the first place I found had Schweizers, so I took one up. I was not thrilled by its performance and/or feel, so I went searching for another school to rent from.
Finally I did find another place to rent from, it was an hour and a half drive (due to the insane traffic out here) but they had Robby, and as a renter I found Robby much more fun to fly!
Fortunately for me the helicopter I liked better was also cheaper. I've often asked myself if Robby was more expensive would I have gone with Schweizer as a renter? I guess the answer depends on how much desposable income I had,...because I really didn't like flying Schweizer!
I've never flown a G2 as no school around me has one to rent. Now if a school opened up and had a G2 and a Robby for the same price, sure I'd check out the G2, but with 511 solo hours in Robby I've developed a fondness for the little guy so I'd probably still stick with him,...or perhaps alternate between the two every other month,...if, that is, I liked flying the G2. Thing is, I have actually flown a few different fully-articulated machines and personality prefer the feel of a semi-ridged rotor, so, that's also one more point on Robby's side for me.
Anyway, when I learned how to fly, I never said to myself, "I wish I was in a better helicopter". I was having too much fun flying Robby! The only schools around may have been using the cheapest option for them, but it in no way cheapened my training!
I have a lot of regrets in my life, learning how to fly in an R22, then renting one for sixteen and and a half years is not one of them!