When I was 8 I took my moms blender apart and tried to make a heli. Ended in tears. Stan Hiller took over our company, and I read his book about helis, and saw the "flying platform". He told me not to make one, it never really worked. This was in '93. I was 35, and took 4 big chainsaw motors and made what I think was the first quad copter. The intent was a low altitude transporter to use "heli" skiing. Set all four engines wide open and used thrust vectoring as control. 6 channel RC to control the proto from the ground. Worked pretty well. Stan agreed. Wife said congrats on the experiment, if you ever get in that and fly it yourself, if you land alive, you'll land as a bachelor.
Had a boss with a schwietzer, a 206, a beaver on floats and a merlin. I got lots of illegal time in the FWs, a half hour in the 206. FW bored the s out of me, but was certainly a joy vs flying commercial for business.
Wife continued to nix the Rotary path, and I didn't have the $ anyway. Boss died of cancer unexpectedly, and phut went flying.
Got promoted a few times, ended up making some money. Blew my Achilles in a ski tournament, had to have it rebuilt twice. On a scooter for 6 months. Driving son, wife and trailer to Boise, moving son there. Foot up on dashboard, still in cast, throbbing like a b. Astar on a trailer and a fuel truck pass us, says "Wasatch Mt Heliski" on the heli. I lose it "Those SOBs are gonna have more fun in the next day than Ive had in a year" wah wah.wah B and moan.
Wife says "I'm so sick of you crying, go get your license, I don't care if you kill yourself". So I did. I was 55.
I live in Inland Pacific Northwest USA. Tons of uncontrolled airspace. We use the heli to get to chukar hunting, ski tournaments, pheasant hunting, heli skiing, scouting for new ground to hunt, flying farmers to get permission to hunt. Fly myself to meetings. Best thing I ever did. I've got time in Hueys, B3, 206, Shwietzer, R44 and r22. Scared myself once in the Canadian rockies coming back from Calgary in a 44. But slowed down to 60 and the rotors stayed on just fine. I'm just doing this for fun. If the weather goes bad I land in a wheat field and call somebody.
I'd highly recommend it out here. Don't know if I'd do it where I wasn't free to land just about anywhere. I landed at a restaurant once (with permission). Felt like a schmuck.