Helicopter on Ebay.

[Whirlybird]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5501575585&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

Unusual greenhouse?
Garden ornament?
Dog kennel?
Strange way to commit suicide?

Or am I a cynic, and could one actually fly it?

Any comments?

[HeliEng]

Whirly,

Used to know someone who had one, flew round his garden mostly (BIG garden!!!!)
Supposed to be tremendous fun.

Would putting it on the US register not be an option?? I think it looks like a hoot!

[407 Driver]

Prior to purchasing, one should read this Article (http://www.avweb.com/news/atis/184285-1.html) (1997).

An old builders website is located here (http://www.mini500.com/oldmini/index.html)

[CRAN]

IMHO - STAY AWAY FROM MINI 500's, IF YOU FLY THEM YOU HAVE A VERY, VERY, HIGH RISK OF BEING INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT RESULTING FROM SOME FORM OF MECHANICAL FAILURE.

Seriously.

CRAN

[407 Driver]

The builders site I found (Linked above) has a couple of Obituaries featured on it....That should make you go Hmmmm?????:sad: :ooh: :*

[Whirlybird]

Hmmm... I guess it's a bit expensive for a greenhouse and garden ornament. :)

[airborne_artist]

This link http://www.provide.net/~pratt1/ambuilt/helicopter.htm will put you off, I hope......

[Whirlybird]

airborne_artist,

That link makes sobering reading. :eek:

For the record, I NEVER seriously planned to buy this helicopter with a view to flying it. I posted my first lighthearted post partly out of curiosity, partly as a subject for discussion...and also because I really would love to have one in my garden - I'd grow grapes in it or something, train them over the rotors perhaps. But the biddings gone too high for that to be realistic. :( But I daresay others might be planning to fly it, so the warnings are definitely in order. :ok:

[airborne_artist]

This was the bit from the NTSB accident link I liked:

On November 6, 1998, at 0900 central standard time (cst), a Tomschin Mini 500, N316AZ,
piloted by a non-certificated individual, sustained substantial damage when while in cruise flight, the
helicopter struck a power line.......The non-pilot told the FAA inspector that he did not possess a pilot certificate or a current medical
certificate. The non- pilot said that he had taken several lessons in Alabama. A review of his pilot
logbook showed that the non-pilot had 23 total hours of flight time in helicopters.


And this:

"The accident Mini-500 used a Rotax 582 UL DCDI engine. In the beginning of the operator's
manual, it stated: "Danger! This engine, by its design, is subject to sudden stoppage! Engine
stoppage can result in crash landings. Such crash landings can lead to serious bodily injury or death.
Never fly the aircraft equipped with this engine at locations, airspeeds, altitudes, or other
circumstances from which a successful no-power landing cannot be made, after sudden engine
stoppage."

'nuff said.

My money is that none of those ebay bidders will stump up the cash, and that if you pm'd the seller with an offer for what it's worth as a fancy greenhouse he'd be forced to take it!

[DualDriver]

I had the oppurtunity a couple of years back to build hours on one. Why am I suddenly relieved I never did...:eek:

[J.A.F.O.]

I like my dog but not enough to spend £3,500 on a new kennel for him.

And as for flying it, well as it seems the best way to hold a reunion of Mini 500 pilots is via a medium, I don't think I'll bother.

[GOINGIN]

ANYBODY KNOW WHO THE BRAVEHEART BUYER IS.

[muffin]

It certainly went for a lot of money considering its reputation. Any readers of the rec.aviation.rotorcraft newsgroup a few years back will be familiar with all the controversy.

[airborne_artist]

The buyer is a Spaniard - same nationality as the ones who run with/fight bulls - probably safer in a Mini 500 than waving a sword at 1000 kgs of bovine killer!

[Genghis the Engineer]

Grief, whilst I've flown a lot of FW aeroplanes with a 582 and know it fairly well, I'm not sure I'd want to fly a low-rotor-inertia helicopter with one, sounds like too many chains in the accident chain already forged.

G

[davehearn]

ive e-mailed him through e-bay and linked it to this site! i,m just hoping hes going to read his mail,,BEFORE he decides to go flying, to be honest i wouldnt have given them 500 quid for it.