Originally Posted by
Robbiee
It just seems like the bigger the Robby design gets, the more issues it has..
Having taught in 22s since the mid 80s, and 44s since 2006, I'd say the 44 has had less issues than the 22. Which makes sense, because Robinson was able to fix a bunch of the shortcomings of the 22. And of course it has a ton more power than the 22, especially with two or three people on board.
Originally Posted by
Robbiee
Plus, just putting a bandaid over that "chugging" thing while never finding its cause still makes me feel a bit uneasy getting into one of those.
Did I just imagine being told chugging was caused when a supplier changed the composition of the rubber transmission mounts without telling Robinson, and that chugging was encountered when you had a mix of old and new mounts on one aircraft? I could have sworn I heard that at the factory... Certainly glad I never encountered it, sounded scary as hell.
Originally Posted by
Robbiee
given the choice between a 44 and a 206, I'd pick the 206 (even if it is slower and the tail rotor isn't as good
It's kind of a wash for me. Like you said, 44 tail rotor is night and day better than the 206 ( I've never flown with the Van Horn dunno how much that helps ). 44 is, as you say, substantially faster than the 206. And of course substantially cheaper to operate although as the pilot I don't care THAT much... Although I've been flying with the T Bar cyclic for 35 years, I still hate it. And yeah, low gee. But the 206 has the dynamic tail boom mode. The 44 has instant torque when you need it, and no hot starts. The list goes on and on... The truth is they each have some advantages and some disadvantages.
If I'm giving a tour, I strongly prefer the 44 with the open cabin. Other than that? Meh. Whatever.