And my favourite helicopter is...

[helicrazi]

I can’t find a thread like this...

Just wondered what the favorite helicopter of choice is out there and for what reason?

Just to get things started I think mine has to be the Dauphin, spectacular looking machine, would like the opportunity to pilot one!

[Devil 49]

Classic, safe, simple, fun and fast.

[Captain-Beanie]

The things dreams are made of!

[206Fan]

The AS332L2 Puma, tremendous looking machine, Bonds are beautys:O

[Seymour Belvoir]

S330 Puma HC1, we've been through a lot together!

[spencer17]

AS350B2/3 and Lama. Great workhorses.

spencer17

p.s. I like slinging and do not like self boarding cargo.

In German: Fracht kotzt nicht, Fracht motzt nicht !!
Translation: Freight doesn't puke, freight doesn't complain

[Shawn Coyle]

The real question is - favorite helicopter for what mission???

[Evil Twin]

Jet Ranger it's what started this obsession off for me all those years ago.

[md 600 driver]

gazelle

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/DSCN1421.jpg

.http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/DSC_0256.jpg

[206Fan]

S330 Puma HC1, we've been through a lot together!

RAF i presume seymour?

[Lord Mount]

Mmmmmmm........(sigh)


Bell 47


Learned to fly in it.

Though I may be far away think only this of me. There shall always be a place in my heart that is, forever, 47 shaped.


LM

[Capt.Gonzo]

BO-105 :D

nice to fly :ok:

[Helipilot1982]

Has to be the Hughes 500 for me due to the speed and handling:ok:

[HeliEng]

I am with MD 600 Driver all the way!!!!

Gazelle, gazelle, gazelle!!!!!

[500 Fan]

No prizes for guessing my favourite. Has to be the good ole 500. Looks gorgeous on tall skids. Only have a handful of hours in an old OH-6A :ok: but it carves through the turns so beautifully compared to the R44.

[helicrazi]

No harm in a light-hearted thread for a change, instead of all the arguements and bickering! :O

[Bravo73]

Do we really need threads like this? It's hardly an issue that affects professional pilots.

Huh? Bit harsh for your first post, helispeediv. := And what exactly are the issues that affect you as a professional pilot?

[helonorth]

For a first post, you came out with a zinger! So tell us, "professional" pilot,
what issues would you like to talk about, so we don't waste any more of
your time? By the way, I love everything about the 407.

[Heli-kiwi]

500E, Like a great woman, it looks sexy in black, its quiet, its fast, has nice long legs, Is smooth and when you rock on in to the party all your mates want a turn too. (and it doesn't mind if you fly other machines):E

No offence intended to any of our lovely female posters out there ;)

[206Fan]

500E, Like a great woman, it looks sexy in black, its quiet, its fast, has nice long legs, Is smooth and when you rock on in to the party all your mates want a turn too. (and it doesn't mind if you fly other machines)

Hahaha, nicely put kiwi lol:}

[Floppy Link]

...500E, Like a great woman...

No room in the back? :E


p.s. EC135 :ok:

[seawings]

UH-1 A and B models...chipped paint and dirty green, pocked with bullet holes, and wrapped in duct tape (the old green kind)...around blades, window corners (to stop water leaks) and over broken instrument holes. Young and "bullet proof" we pulled the guts out of the engines and transmissions, never really understanding or worried about limits. In spite of this these venerable old aircraft (well they weren't then) hauled us out each day and brought us home a night. The ones shot out from under me let me survive the crash and fly another day. What a wonderful helicopter. Thank you Bell Helicopter.

[vortexadminman]

The mighty Lynx mk 7..........tons of power well in Europe anyway......... but when she bites she really fecking bites. When its all working well (not often I admit) she is the beast with two backs.

[before landing check list]

Good post Seawings. I 1st flew them in flight school (82-25) then in Korea. Quite a bit in Central America (H's, N's, 212 and 205) It will always be a wonderful classic.

[mcgoo]

Airwolf!!!

[Revolutionary]

I'm with helonorth. Haven't flown the 407 for a few years now but still get butterflies when I see one.

[Tango and Cash]

Airwolf or its modern brother the 430, at least in the aesthetics department.

[EN48]

Helicopters I have flown: B407

Helicopters I havent flown: S76

[HVHmt]

The 12 because it is a real fly by your pants aircraft, while the 92 is a fantastic platform with the latest innovations, gotta love the intigrated avionics.

[Brian Abraham]

Number one H-34 Lovely sound (big radial), sweet flying (typical Sikorsky), bit slow (build the hours), and you could look a jumbo pilot in the eye (well nearly)

Number two S-76 Terrible sound (whining turbines), sweet flying (typical Sikorsky), quick (not good for hour building but one out of three aint bad)

Seems to be a common thread here, Sikorsky (I'm not sucking Nick, honest)

[before landing check list]

The B206, SK61, MI24 and the H1H of course

[collectivesoul!!]

I for one like this thread there are no negatives,which is a nice change from the norm on this site.I also think pilots want to know what other pilots favourite machines are,it certainly cant do any harm!! GO THE GAZELLE!!

[Evil Twin]

Oh my god 407:8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8 I'm sorry I've just c.......

[Blackhawk9]

S-70 Blackhawk, loved it from when I put the first one together in Oz on 88, and now the S-92 great machine but not quite with the S-70.

[manitoubrian]

I'm going to say the R22 :ouch:

I know, i know... but.. Without it I don't think I would have a PPL(H) now.

It's the only heli I've flown...

I do dream of a 407 when the 6 numbers pop up :ok:

[Seymour Belvoir]

Davy07

Yep, Does it show?

SB

[Mattyf]

Oh Dear, what a question ...... Dauphin ..... Huey ........errm, are we allowed to have two favourites..?

[leemind]

H500 everytime, just for the power agility and no wishy washy hydraulics (a la 206) :ok:

Oh and now with the demise of BHH,:ugh: anyone know where I can SFH one or at least get revalidated in the SE of England??

[Bootneck]

For sound the Siuox or Bell 47. Listen to a Lycoming 6 Cylinder and remember that twist grip throttle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRsTvxzIZ0M

For pure flying pleasure (prior to stab being fitted), power, and manoeuvrability it has to be the gazelle.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Robiz/cx411/nitesunskyshout.jpg

[Brilliant Stuff]

R22, AW109, B430 and EC135 for now.

[blue monday]

Hard Choice between Gazelle, Uh1 Huey, and AH7 Lynx!!!!! Huey for the obvious reasons (Thud Thud Thud) Gazelle for speed and manouverability and Lynx AH7 for the same oh and because it will go upside down.

[perfrej]

I tend like it every time I get some hours in an H300... It is true flying.

500 for the sheer sexy fun of it!

I used to say all sorts of sh*t about Bell 206 (like "Jet Danger", "i'ts made to fly straight and level, nothing else" etc), but after getting a rating and some 150 hours on type I must say it's a nice and smooth darling that never fails.

I only have a few hours of Bell 204, 412 and UH-1H, but that was really fantastic and testosteronic flying. Dirty teeshirt, four days unshaven, sweaty and a faded cigar in the corner of the mouth - whop-whop-whop...

The EC-120? Nah... Have it, don't quite like it (yet)

[airborne_artist]

Any aircraft that someone else pays for is pretty good, but you never forget your first time, even if she was ugly. In my case she was gorgeous :ok:

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1040489M.jpg

And that's the very one, XW861.

[SunderlandMatt]

Apache 64D. Can't shoot back with any of the others. :E

[206Fan]

Yep, Does it show?

Yea lol:}

Were you with 230SQN in Northern Ireland or 33 at Benson?

Just being nosey as i seen the puma HC1 every day round here, loved watching it..

[+SHRA]

AH 64D..... a bus but lots of toys... but you soon get fed up of the random gremlins and the werid microsoft solution... pull the plug..wait..plug back in!:*

The other extreme: Gazelle no toys...but sooooo much fun! Engine offs the sport of kings..death before overshoot:uhoh: It gets my vote:ok:

[Ricktye]

You mean there are helicopters other than the Lama??? 8>)

R...

[funfinn2000]

AW119 Koala,

Over 4 hrs fuel , 8 seats . Plenty of power . very fast.

Too expensive though

[Tickle]

I'm not a pilot but these old Dauphines were always flying around my home town when I was a kid and have a special place for me:

http://airwing.uplink.com.au/imagesDB/multimedia/62_1_L.jpg

[Seymour Belvoir]

Davy,

Both (several times!)

SB

[TOMMY1954]

I´m not a pilot, probably that´s why I love the Bell222.I was during 7 years medevac doctor, and I remember several times the lack of power in certain situations (heat...), but we had some great pilots who knew the 222 like the palm of their hands. And it´s beautifull.

[griffothefog]

When I look back over the last 26 years of flying heli's, there is only one chopper that makes my lips curl upward... BO 105, when you've absolutely, positively, gotta kill every mother F***er else........................................:E

[BUSTIE OPN]

Ec145 ! :D

[nrh]

The most perfect execution of "form follows function" :)

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/Favourite.jpg

[ShyTorque]

It should look OK when it's finished..... ;)

[rumline]

It would be a 212......It's a seat of your pants, hairy chested flying F-250 pick-up with true WHOOMP.....
And nothing....absolutly nothing can match it's versatility.
http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/helicopter/images/212/navwatersbell212_400.jpg

[206Fan]

Seymour..

Heres one for yea, took this last summer from my front garden..

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee181/Davy_032/IMG_24581.jpg?t=1203718335

[pumaboy]

Anything with a Puma airframe

SA330-EC225 absolutly beautiful looking machines

best looking helicopters in the world

AS332L the best looking of the range and the workhorse of the offshore industry

[John Eacott]

If Harley Davidson built a helicopter.....
It would be a 212......It's a seat of your pants, hairy chested flying F-250 pick-up with true WHOOMP.....
And nothing....absolutly nothing can match it's versatility.

We always reckoned that the 212 should have a bulldog on the nose: the Mack truck of the air :p

real bikers don't ride Harleys.......... not if they've got half a brain ;)


My favourite? Split between the S76 and the BK117 :cool:

[Rigga]

I'm no pilot, but I've worked on loads of helis...

Best looking - Dauphin
Best reliability - Huey (-1H)
Best memories - Whirlwind HAR 10 - Queen mother of proper Helicopters.
Best capability - Chinook
Best newcomer with a good future - EC145 (Who on earth called it Lacota?)


... Best Pallet fetcher - Puma

[Evalu8ter]

For work - the Chinook. Who cares about wind?, ignore the faff of a tail rotor, a vertical rate of climb in excess of 3500 fpm when light, stops in a hurry when you need to, sustained turn performance due to excess power, capable of embarressing helicopters half its size when manoeuvred, and, if you lose a donk, the ability to hover ISA OEI with 3000kg of gas AND 2000kg of payload.

For nostalgia - the Huey; had a go in the 412, -1N and CH146. Didn't feel like a proper helo pilot until I'd flown it. Though the Mighty Wessex does run it close!

For fun - The Gazelle. After Tucanos and being shafted to go RW, the Gazelle was a simply wonderful tonic. Fast, fun and oh, what a view!

[HeliRoute]

Hmmm. EC135. Better still Bell 430.

[FH1100 Pilot]

John Eacott wrote:We always reckoned that the 212 should have a bulldog on the nose: the Mack truck of the air.
Actually... Back in the 1970's, Mack Truck did run one of the first IFR-certified 212's in and around the New York City area in the U.S. And indeed, they *did* have their trademark bulldog mounted on the nose. I'm sure Nick Lappos remembers it. It was really classy...back then. Wish I could find a pic to post.

In my entire career, which began in 1976, I never flew or even flew in a 205/212. Couple of quick 412 rides here and there, but no two-blade Huey time. Then, in like 1995 or so PHI was doing a hurricane evac. We pilots had driven our cars up to high(er) ground (it was Louisiana, after all and *nothing* was all that high) and they were using a 212 to shuttle us back down to the base at the mouth of the Mississippi River so we could grab up our planes and scram outta town before the storm hit.

Oh, it was a truck, alright, that 212. As we clattered and rattled and humped away from the New Orleans base, I remember thinking, "Did we lose a tip-weight? Or a whole blade? What a piece of junk! Why do pilots love this thing so much?" And this 212 was on contract to Shell Oil! Then I also thought about those poor Mack Truck executives making that torturous 45 minute teeth-rattling flight (longer if IFR!) from Allentown, Pennsylvania into NYC in that "state-of-the-art" IFR helicopter. Sheesh!

Meh- I'll never understand the attraction of the 212. Great machine, obviously...a real workhorse, no doubt about it...but I don't think I'd like to fly one for any length of time. Then again, I said that about the Bo-105 and ended up loving that tank. Might even be my favorite aircraft of all time.

[RJ Kanary]

But, at the same time could you imagine that SAME trip in an 'R' Model Tri Axle Dump Truck? {Mack®, of course. Complete with Bulldog with orange jeweled eyes.}
The Huey would have made for a much more comfortable transit . :)

( You haven't felt shakes & rattles until you ridden in one of those trucks on Pennsylvania's famed highways ! )

[jonnyloove]

It has to be the true King/Queen off the skies S-61N. What a machine built to last. And it looks Right.:)

[rotorpol]

as 350 b3

superwork horse

[BlenderPilot]

I have flown . . . .

Bell 206 in all variants, 407, 230, 430, 222, 412,

The A109 Power, the AS350B3, AS355F, and the infamous R22,

but my favorite of all time is the MD500!!! It's like strapping a big engine with a rotor on your back that gives you unlimited freedom in 3D!!! Flying that thing is a "you want it, you got it", up and down, fast, slow, fits anywhere, ultra manuverable. LOVE IT!!

On the other hand on long flights the A109Power is nice to have, AC, AP, FD, just sit there, but it's boring flying, to me the bigger the heli, the more boring it becomes.

[sunnywa]

SeaKing, Queen of the skies. :D

[rudestuff]

Any one who's seen Magnum PI knows it got to be the MD500...

[SlickHueyDriver]

When God made the world He did the recce in a Huey...
MD902 these days...it's ok but my heart forever belongs to the Iroquois.
UH-1H... God's own vehicle. Even to an atheist like me!

[Tango and Cash]

Can I change my answer? Even though it hasn't flown (yet), the X2 looks fast just sitting there.

[SASless]

For sheer pleasure to fly....Sikorsky S-58T.

Best to work with.....Alouette Lama.

As an Icon.....the Huey UH-1H.

The sexiest.....Huey Cobra.

But....without a doubt....the best of them all.....hands down choice....the Chinook! It combines power, speed, strength, longevity, agility, capability, and a way for fat boys to walk up the ramp instead of climbing up ladders to get to the cockpit. Even ol' Nick can get into the seat without rubbing the sides of the entrance.

[FH1100 Pilot]

Dang, SAS! I hope you were referring to jolly ol' St. Nick (aka Sanity Clause) and not the esteemed (and comparatively svelte) Sr. Lappos. (Not that NL isn't a candidate for sainthood.)

...Then again...I always wondered by the crew doors on the S-76 were so huge. Hmm...

[Unhinged]

My favourite? Split between the S76 and the BK117

Favourite, as in want to fly now, same as John. Yes please :-)

Favourite, as in sentimental, Frank's little gems. The 22 because of the way it soldiered on magnificently through my outrageous first attempts at learning to fly, and the 44 because without it I wouldn't have made the break into that first job. Thanks mate, you're a star !!

[500e]

What else




















Fly the dream fly 500

[DualDriver]

BO 105 Super 5!!!!! :D What a beaut!!! I fly it in various conditions, various missions and I love EVERY minute of it. All 54000 minutes!!! :ok:

[Lt. Kije]

Have flown? The BK117. The 105 handled like a sportscar, but the BK was like flying a spacepod and it would pull stumps out of the ground. It would pick up pilot, nurse, medic and two Missourian patients (which are like whales if you've never seen one).

Haven't flown? The S-61. When I first started training I saw a picture of one in Greenlandair livery. I'd still go to Greenland to get a ticket to fly one. :)

[helifixed]

hey buddy i did my training in seymour kestrel aviation.

[Head Turner]

It has to be the GAZELLE. Looks, speed and superb handling qualities

[ChopperFAN]

I feel bad saying this cause i dont think its been said, but i love the look of the 427, i think the 429 is fugly... like a fat 427 with clam doors

There are so many good helicopters the topic should be what dont you like?

Favroites would have to include all Huey variants, A109E, B407, B427, AS350-, AS355, BK117, EC145, EC130 EC120, S76, S61, Gazzelle and Comanche... I wish i was rich...:ugh:

Simon

[md 600 driver]

head turner
you mean like this one HA-LFH 342J
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/08022008121.jpg



or this one HA-LFQ 342L

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/DSC_0256.jpg



or this one XX382 G BZYB ht3


http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/gazzelle001.jpg



or this one G BXZD ht2

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/g-bxzd001.jpg



or this one HA-LFM 341g

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/nigelspicsofbreighton027.jpg


or this one XZ299 G CDXE

http://caa.co.uk/applicationmodules/ginfo/ginfo_photo.aspx?regmark=G-CDXE&imgname=G-CDXE001&imgtype=jpg



or a team photo to finish with HA-LFM,HA-LFQ,G-LEDR

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u104/HELICOPTER_album/DSC_0205.jpg

[CGWRA]

Nostalgia: I was 6 months old my first trip in the jetranger. The 206 will bring you home to your wife and kids everynight, and if you let her down, she will sacrifice herself and still probably bring you home without a scratch on you.

We have a saying here about eurocopter products. Fun to look at fun to fly but roll it up your going to die.

I haven't flown one but my favorite machine from what I know about them has to be the Agusta 119 Koala.

[yakyakyakyak]

It has to be the GAZELLE. Looks, speed and superb handling qualities

Moreover….. A navel Gazelle resplendently re sprayed in metallic green

[ShyTorque]

A navel Gazelle

A pilot would get a belly laugh from flying those. They're a bit slow, though.

[md 600 driver]

yak
yours was red when it was delivered have you painted it ?

[Dan Reno]

The president of the US's S-70. Best crash worthiness and best MMH/FH.

[jellycopter]

Steve

Great photos!

I never dreamt when I chose Subaru World Rally Blue for Gazelle G-HTPS that it would end upon three of them, and also 4 A109s, an EC135 and one Rotorway Exec at the last count. What a great colour - it just looks so good without any stripes or other such nonsense.

JJ

[B540]

Combat: AH-1G

Earning a living: SA-315B

[CYHeli]

Fav's I've flown, B206 and Five Hundy'.:D
What I dream of flying... A109 E/S:ok:
Been for a ride in a 109 with John E years ago, but never got my hands on the controls 'tho.

[md 600 driver]

JJ
there is another one in the paint shop now an ex mil version

steve

[blue monday]

JJ
there is another one in the paint shop now an ex mil version

steveI don't understand why people paint ex war birds ciovil colours - I personally feel the Gazelle looks best in its British Army colours, the blue civi one is nice to, but if i were to own a Gazelle i'd leave it in British Army Military Markings for sure.


My wish list would read Ex Mil Gazelle, Bo105, UH1H, maybe a lynx too if they ever get sold on! Civil chopers - Squirell

[heliski22]

Started in an R-22, then B206, H269, A109C, A109E and now AW139.

The 139 is an awesome brute of a helicopter, even dressed up in corporate trim, and I do love flying it but the one I miss most is the B206.

We did powerline patrols in a BIII some years ago and called it 50/50 flying - 50kts at 50ft, if it quit, you got a 50/50 shot! An ex-mil instructor once told me the most important thing to know about the 206 is "how far you can f*** it up and still save it!"

[nigel f]

Gazelle!!

The 365 would be nice, and a BO 105

The Alouette is good too

[wardy20]

The SA365Fi Dauphin ll ALL the way! That scream alone. And in the Irish Air Corps coulours..................http://www.irishairpics.com/images/iap_fullsize_images/dau_fin_140703_26F.jpg

[rogerk]

It has to be the roar of the mighty Nimbus !!

Westland SCOUT AH 1

:ok::ok:

[yakyakyakyak]

yak
yours was red when it was delivered have you painted it ?


it was red for its first 2500 hrs then it went green in 2003.

[Overdrive]

All of them, any of them :)

[eurocopter beans]

CGRWA,

Can you explain this...

'We have a saying here about eurocopter products. Fun to look at fun to fly but roll it up your going to die.'

How does one roll up a heli?

[Helicopterist]

I guess the old adage "if you have to ask.." applies here ;-)

[eurocopter beans]

No, still dont get it. Is it something to do with crashing helicopters? Im going flying now to test the theory, smoke me a kipper.

[md 600 driver]

cgwra
i have to ast the same question too what do you mean by how do you roll it up ect.

helicopterist

you obviousley know the answer too please let us all know

[ShyTorque]

"Rolling it into a ball" is an aircrew slang term for a nasty crash, as in a description of the airframe afterwards..

[JanM]

Really, I like Gazelle 341 but it is very old.. I think so - for personal prop. - EC-120B Colibri - the best.

[eurocopter beans]

Very good, thanks for the clarification. Is there any basis to this? Do eurocopter aircraft have lesser crash survivability than their Bell counterparts? Or is this just another 'saying' made up by some random bell fanatic?

Either way i vote for the gazelle, aesthetically and in terms of fun-to-flyability. Second to its ugly cousin the 135, not as nice on the eye but in terms of performance, reliability, stability and relative simplicity its got good bank for your buck. Aint never flown a heli i didnt like though:yuk:

[KrisRamJ]

I tried to find some data to back this up but it seems that the manufacturers aren't too keen on advertising stuff like this...

So I did a *very* rough estimate using the NTSC database: 17% of Bell accidents had one or more fatalities, 25% of Eurocopter/Aerospatiale accidents had one or more fatalities. Figuring that mission could sway the results I did a type specific search for two helos with similar missions: AS350 vs 206 - that yielded 27% for AS350 and 21% for the 206.

I know it's a really crappy way to estimate fatal accidents but the trend is there.

BTW, yes I am bored & sitting at home wishing I was flying!

[CGWRA]

Jetrangers, 500s, 407s A119s and many other helicopters have support all over the place. Between the doors, in the center of the cabin, along the upper deck, in the windsheild etc. They are designed to crash, and many people have made it home to their families as a result of that principle.

Astars on the other hand...despite being a heavier helicopter, have only support in the floor. When you see them without the doors on you really get an appreciation to the lack of structural support. If you roll over in one your chances are less than stellar. Astar wrecks always seem to have the tail, the mast bent over with bits of blades and nothing where the front fuselage used to be. Its blows me away some of the accidents people have survived in astars.

Chances are if I have an accident it will be my fault in a perfect good helicopter. I sure hope it doesn't happen in an Astar though.

[eurocopter beans]

Stlll not sure about lack of crashworthiness in eurocopter aircraft. Seen pictures of a few eurocopter aircraft in a heap after a bad crash and was amazed to see people survived, the strathclyde 135 crash for example. And saw pictures of a recent 135 crash where everybody walked away from what looked like a nasty crash, and these are basically made of plastic!. I know a guy who totalled a gazelle who vouches for eurocopter crashworthiness. If there is solid reasoning behind your claim i would be interested to hear it, not from a bitching 'i like eurocopter vs i like bell' type schoolyard row, more from an earnest interest. Is there evidence of eurocopter aircraft lacking in crashworthiness capability?

[victor papa]

I tend to agree with eurocopter beans here. I can not remember which city, but if you look at the As350 that crashed in America and eventually ended up on the ground after hitting quite a few building edges with the occupants alive I wonder. Yes, I do agree the structure does not look like much once the doors are off, but with MODERN technolegy(look at formula 1) you do not need a tank anymore. These composite fibres can absorb a lot more than a good old piece of stringer and alclad even though one can barely notice them and they are an 1/4(if not less) of the size of the good old post.

If the Astar scares you I guess you blankly refuse to join the flying experience of a EC130? Think you should give it a go sometime, you might be surprised.

[MyTarget]

The S92, great helicopter to fly and you can swing at least 2 cats in the cockpit!

[CGWRA]

I think I'd have a hard time convincing someone to let me try one out to see how it crashes :O Like the saying says, I'm sure they are a delight to fly.


I think you can find extreme cases where people have survived all kinds of crazy situations. There are thousands of accidents to draw from. I'm just saying I've noticed a trent based on all the accident photos I've seen over the years and the common fatalities. Astars always seem to fair worse than other types. I'm not the only one who thinks so I didnt make up the saying!

I also didnt say I would never fly one. In my company its kind of hard to progress without getting into an Astar and I think I'd give them the wrong idea if I said I wouldn't accept the endorsement. I have a family on the way though and I dont plan on spending my career in one. I'd like to fly a 119 or 407 eventually.

[eurocopter beans]

you have a family on the way so you dont want to fly an astar? Seriously?

[ianp]

Got to be a Gazelle, no question

[CGWRA]

I know that sounds dramatic. Anything can happen in 25 thousand hours though.

I can do my best to avoid an accident but I can't eliminate all risk. Not in this business and not in life. I can however, wear a helmet, and do a good DI every day. I can try to influence what aircraft I spend most of my time in and practice good airmanship. Even if it only makes me 5% more likely to survive an accident (and in my opinion its probably more) its worth it to me and it will stack up with all the other things that make me safer. I'm in this for the long haul and the life insurance company doesn't seem to think the odds are in my favor :rolleyes:

[bast0n]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/rotorheads/123915-what-about-wessex-makes-people-so-fond.html?highlight=wessex

Quite a few votes on this thread!! :)

[bogey@6]

glass cockpit (glass only-- no instrument behind)

[VfrpilotPB/2]

My very own likes are the B206 and the Gazelle, found the Gazelle so easy to fly so I feel that would be my numero uno!

Peter R-B:D