Originally Posted by
aa777888
That's actually a pretty narrow view of the subject. The R44 is the only 4 place machine that can operate in the $250-$300/hr range (wholesale). This makes it unique in the industry and marketplace. Its creation opened up the market substantially for all kinds of customers that would never have been previously able to afford helicopter operations. This goes well beyond training and private business/pleasure use. It also includes tours from 6 to 60 minutes, photography, survey, ENG, public safety, etc.. You name it, the R44 can often do it as well and at half the cost of the least expensive turbine powered ship. The R44 lags only the Jetranger in it's popularity, and probably only because the Jetranger has been around longer. Leaving emotion aside, the reasons for this are completely obvious, and the efficiency and utility of the machine undeniable. The only substantially negative thing about the R44 is that, as a lightweight, two-bladed teetering rotor head, low main rotor inertia design, it has, also undeniably, less safety margin with respect to turbulence and autorotation performance. Since people were apparently too stupid to appreciate these things, its appreciation was mandated by SFAR 73. Since SFAR 73 its safety record in the US has become no worse than many other helicopters (although it remains abysmal in certain other countries, which speaks to how those countries approach rotary wing aviation, not the design). Its ubiquity in the marketplace is what causes it to be in the news for accidents more often than other helicopters, not its design or performance.
Don't let the emotional baggage of pre-SFAR R22 and R44 operations cloud your judgement of a modern R44 (or even a modern R22). If you've never flown one go blow a few hundred bucks, get your SFAR 73 sign-off, and put an hour on one. You might be surprised, and I mean that in a good way!
You would think that a company capable of producing a product which sits in a unique position in the market would be smart enough not to p*ss off it's customers by producing a sub-standard paint job on the blades which is clearly not fit for purpose.