RVDT, thanks for the link - brilliant stuff! Just the type of thing I enjoy reading
Sorry bout the post the other night, no offense meant. Was feeling a bit cheeky, couple glasses of wine will do that
I agree, it's not unreasonable to want folks with experience working on your ship. I do think a zero tolerance policy often misses the boat though. A person's background and experience should be factored in before making a decision. Factory training goes a long way to help with that situation. However, there's a lot to be said for the knowledge learned in a mentoring situation as well.
500e, I'm doing contract work in the states right now so can't comment on the situation in the UK at the moment. DSS support is great. They don't always have an answer but they will try hard to find one for you. Pretty knowledgeable folks as to track and balance too. I've never been disappointed in the level of support and help they've offered. The MicroVib takes a bit to get used to but it's pretty user intuitive once you get the basics down. The processor is pretty old so it's a bit slow compared to the Chadwick 2000. I hear a new one is coming out one of these days but they won't provide upgrades so you'll need to buy a new unit.
12-13,000 USD is out the door price these days so I hear. I bought mine used a few years ago so not up to speed on current pricing. Overall, I'm quite happy with mine as well as the level of support. Never had a problem getting info (group files and machine files) for the 500's. DSS guys are quite up to speed on balancing the 500 as well.
Got a buddy who claims a DSS rep came out and had a D model like glass in 5 runs using the computer solutions. Never worked for me but then I tend to not use the computer as much as the track data. Never had the DSS training though.
Here's the lastest:
Talked with some folks over the last couple days and here's what we came up with for those who might care...
The DSS and factory folks say the 5P is usually somewhere around .2 to .3 but can be as high as .5 to .6 ips on the 500.
On this heli, a 5P of .58 ips is the what we have right now. Since the human body is more sensitive to the 1P which occurs at 487 cycles per minute (main rotor rpm) , the answer is to roughen up the ride by throwing a blade out of track so the 1P increases up to around .2 to .3. This has the effect of fooling the body into not noticing the 5P, which occurs at 2428 cycles per minute, as much.
I still wonder why changing the head would increase the 5P so much but so far no one has been able to give a good answer. Too bad there seems to be no way to modify the 5P which is the naturally occurring vibe of each blade.
Thanks for all the input and ideas over the weekend.
Sure would love to hear from some of the guru's like Shawn and Nick,
