**cough, cough**

http://1.2.3.10/bmi/www.irishfaminem...ship_black.gif = ship


:E

How much weight will you carry, how many people? How wide is your hangar door? How tall is the hangar door?

500- Lots of fun to fly. Need wide hangar door. Friends won't like the back seats, small kids won't mind. Make sure it has a C20. You can get a 500 in smaller landing spots than the 206. Low exhaust compared to the 206 is something to think about landing in tall dry grass in the mountains.

206- More like a family car, but still fun to fly. Needs a tall hangar door- but can be much narrower than for the 500. More comfortable back seats and room for 3. Will be limited on fuel and pax starting at your field elevation in the summer. More baggage room for fishing tackle, hunting/camping equipment and picnic baskets in the 206.

The answer also depends on what you intend to do with it.
If you want to cary passengers in comfort than the Jet Ranger is definitely the way to go. If you do want to have some fun then you 'might' consider the 500c.

Also bear in mind that the Jet Ranger is likely to be easier to re-sell in the future. I always though that it was the 500 I wanted, but I chose the Jet Ranger and I have a silly grin every morning when I wake up and realise I have one.

I've recently flown a 500c and watched its progress as its been overhauled and I have to say that whilst it's a great bit of kit and a pleasure to fly. I wouldn't swap my Jet Ranger for one.

Hope this helps.

Joel :ok:

If you like Enstroms, how about a 480? Very good helicopters.

Well my first turbine was a 500C then purchased a 206B3, sold the jetbanger 12 months later for a 500D, since then have owned 4 x 500E's, but have always kept the D.
That probably sums up which one I would go for. Most important about either machine, make sure you have it surveyed by someone who knows the type before buying. Then have a descent maintenance company look after it.
As for resale value, the 500 wins everytime, never sold one for less than I paid for it. Have a look and see how many 500 are ever for sale compared to 206's

As piston helicopters go, it is darn hard to beat the Enstrom. Only 9 life limited parts and no major inspections (1200 or 2200 hr) required.

First I would take a careful look at the Type Certificate Data Sheets for each and the ADs for each. Especially the recurring ones. Then get a little time in each to see which ones work best for you. Many like flying the 500, it is a nice handling machine. The Enstrom and the 206 have probably the best safety records out there. As for fuel costs, the 500C and 206B2 will have fuel costs that are close to the 280FX's.

As for the 480, the seating is not as comfortable and the value for money is better on the 500 and 206.

Not as comfortable as what? Which seats? Havent been in a 500 but the 480 front seats have all kinds of room compared to the 206. Depending on use, these may be the seats that are most important. Also, for a given model year and airframe time, the 480 will typically be 30% to 50% less than the equivalent 206, and it looks like similar numbers for the 500. Of course you can buy a 40 year old 206 with 13,000+ hours for a bit less than a 10 year old 480 with 1000 hours, but not sure this is a meaningful comparison.

Also important to consider the "whole product" - insurance costs, availability of parts and service, availability of training, etc. There is much more to aircraft ownership than handling qualities. It is said of some helicopters that the news is both bad and good. The bad news is that every part costs $100,000. The good news is that even if you have the $100,000, the part is not available. Could the 500 be toward this end of the scale, at least compared to the 206 or 480? :E

I appreciate all of the input. What is the correct slang word used for helicopters? Obviously not ship as I have seen used. Anyway that acknowledged it seems that it all comes down to end use and personal choice as far as a turbine. I tend to lean towards the go fast performance end of the scale. My current hobby is a rear engine Nostalgia top fuel car. You can check it out at Utah Charger .

I just needed some good advice from those of you with a bunch of experience with ownership and flying in both the MD and the Ranger. So then about jumping into a turbine for a first helicopter?

EN48
Dont have a problem with spares for my D and E models. 5 years ago I would have agreed

If cost is not the primary constraint, IMHO, this is the way to go if your intent is to end up in a turbine. I took this approach and am happy that I did. Up front costs are higher but you get some of this back when it comes to insurance, training, etc. However, not all turbines are created equal, and a 206 or 480 will likley be a less expensive trainer than the 500.

The most difficult thing about a turbine is learning to start the engine without destroying it. This has proven to be within the capabilities of many but not all humans. ;)

EN48 why do you think a jetbox is cheaper to run than a 500 ?

Parts: widely available new & used (many more airframes out there)
Service: everyone knows how to fix a 206; the ubiquitous turbine helo
Training: Many sources
Insurance: Guessing but likely less expensive for equivalent coverage due to 206 excellent safety record.

The 206 is sort of like a King Air 90 in the fixed wing world. A very well known quantity with few vices.

On the NZ register there are approx 105 500's and approx 60 206's. Not sure if that is a common ration world wide or mainly down to the typical usage of helicopters down here.

[There are about 150 AS350, AS355, EC120, EC130, EC135 types and 320 odd Robbos]

This is not a common ratio, in fact I cannot think of another country where the 500 population is greater than the 206 but, being in NZ you should be aware of this!

In the 1970's just about every NZ farmer bought a Hughes 500 and went out to try his luck at catching deer. The 500 was really the only aircraft capable of performing this task and of withstanding the 'Kiwi Touch'!

HM

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../8/1163895.jpg

Well having owned both, 500 is way cheaper to run, you have to factor in its greater speed, approx 20% therefore 20% less component times and 20% less fuel to do the same job.
Thats in my application maybe different for others.

Go with whatever suits what you want to do. If you are flying very few hours then the cost of the TT straps for the JR may be a bit of a burden. While a 500 is faster than a JR don't believe everyone that says they outperform them all the time. Remember that when people talk max gross fill with fuel then say a 500 performs better, they have forgotten that you have 3.5 hrs gas in a JR and 2 max in a 500. Other than that maint on both will be similar, depending on what you get when you buy. The 500 does pull more power out of the same engine as the JR and generally they go through engine parts quicker. If you are only ticking off a few hrs a yr then engine O/H will be the least of your concerns.

Parts for 500 should't be a problem anymore, and they have never been a problem for Bell

As someone else has said if you are going to take a couple of adults, with a bit of gear, or maybe some kids, then a 500 could do it. If you want 5 adults comfortable with gear in the boot, you can't beat the JR. Also initial purchase price you should be able to get a far better JR for the same money compared to a 500. Should, not will, and you can get screwed not matter what you buy. Also the reason that there are so many JR's for sale is that there are so many out there. I don't see many ferraris for sale compared to fords, bit of a silly comparison really.

I doubt that a private pilot would get a 500 into any smaller area than a JR, as they won't go anywhere that tight.

sf

To be fair most 500's have fargo tanks which means you get 2.8 hours out of it !
5 adults in a jetbanger, if they are average size then forget about full fuel
Figures for htose comparing

206 avg wt approx 1900lbs max take off 3200lbs
500D avg wt approx 1600 lbs max take off 3000lbs

Please bear in mind these are weights of some of the machines I fly, yes you can strip them down by approx couple of hundred pounds.
At 3200lbs the jr does struggle, 500 doesnt at 3000lbs as SF says both have the same engine using the same 5 min power limit ( been a few years since flown a jr so could be wrong). Both will lift more if load on a hook, but at max external gross both will struggle !

Lev

I was asked this very question yesterday, whilst discussing "Airwolf" if it is you send me a pm I amy be able to offer some more advice for you:ok:

It may be prudent to make some insurance inquiries too and determine if you'll have any problem insuring a turbine vs. piston based on your experience level.

All the maintenance and overhaul costs should be considered but if you can't afford to insure it the point is moot and you're best served by a piston that they WILL insure.

helispeediii
 

206/369 its allbeen said and most of it spot on ive owned many 206s and all the 500s except 530, im sure the 500 is the cheaper aircraft to run its also more rugged, but if you were looking to offset your costs there is more revenue available,on 206s in the uk any way , the 206 is more relaxed form of flying ,the 500s ,is like the girl all the boys would like to get there hands on but not settle down with!, or500 is the boy that none of the girls mums would approve of which is why they chase him! hope this helps helispeed iii