November 1, 1999
Buying with Bower
by Ron Bower
Readers’ Forum
I’VE RECEIVED MANY GOOD letters from readers asking questions that range from buying military surplus helicopters to installing high-tech avionics for instrument approaches.
I’ll make this page a regular forum where my readers can get straight answers to straight questions about rotorcraft of every description. A collection of questions from previous issues will be available soon on the World Wide Web at www.bowerhelicopter.com.
Is there any source for military surplus OH-6A/MD500C/MD500D machines? I thought this might be an avenue to explore. Are there any non-traditional avenues to explore?
Here’s my understanding of the general availability, and a broader perspective on some issues relating to certification, maintainability, etc.
The military’s original "dump the tired iron" program had specific guidelines for who could get the equipment. It was available for government agencies at the federal, state and local levels at bargain prices.
As a result, the military released a few thousand of these aircraft.
There were some problems. The industry, especially the Helicopter Association International (HAI), opposed the program because its main impact would be to reduce sales of new and used helicopters to civilian contractors who traditionally supported the air operations of law enforcement, firefighting and other local and county government agencies.
In the past, I’ve heard stories of sheriff pilots going to a military base and the Army saying, "It’s that one over there—good luck." The problems associated with the program included: lack of maintenance history, no FAA certification, and the possibility of being flown beyond design limits in a way that would be unacceptable to FAA or would negatively impact the safety of flight.
One solution was that many agencies bought packages of five, six, even 10 helicopters, in hopes of cannibalizing the "fleet" to keep one or two ships flying.
Of course, there’s no such thing as a perfect solution, and this program was no exception. The good news was that several small agencies got into helicopters at a seemingly low entry fee. The bad news is that the cost of getting these helicopters to a safe, flyable stage could be astronomical or impossible.
Even if they could, these ships still weren’t FAA certified under the Standard Category. Instead, they’d be either Experimental or Restricted. Just because they have an N-number doesn’t mean that helicopters fall into the Standard Category. N-numbers are for registration purposes only.
Certain government agencies are not required to conform to FAA regs (including maintenance) because their helicopters satisfy the definition of "public- use aircraft."
A few helicopters made their way into the civilian market through a back door: The agencies bought more ships than they could use, then sold some off.
I recently looked at U.S.-registered Hughes 500/369HM helicopters with obvious military serial numbers. Out of 181 registered (N-numbered) helicopters, 150 are owned by government agencies, four have been destroyed, and 27 have civilian owners. There are still countless unregistered ex-military helicopters that are gathering dust in law enforcement hangars nationwide.
Someone once defined a helicopter as "10,000 rivets holding together a bunch of parts that are constantly wearing out." It’s doubtful that, given an OH-6 or an OH-58 serial number data plate, you could ever build one out of spare parts in a cost-effective way. Even if you succeeded, you’d still have an anomaly in the market.
With regard to non-traditional sources for helicopters, I’ve found that there’s an underlying reason for most traditions: They work. My recommendation is that you stay with certified aircraft. To keep the initial cost under control, go for older ships that have been properly maintained.
I’m just learning to fly helicopters, and I’m attempting to sort through the various manufacturers’ safety records. Is a low-time pilot safer flying a Bell 206B or a Robinson R44?
For many, helicopter choice is purely a financial or insurance consideration. To keep insurance costs down and to make yourself a safer pilot, it’s a good idea to enroll in a manufacturer-sponsored training course, such as Bell Helicopter Textron’s Flight Training Academy in Fort Worth, Texas. I’ve attended and greatly benefited from Robinson’s R22 flight instructor’s course, which company founder Frank Robinson personally taught for a day and a half.
Originally, Robinson conceived of the R22 as a "personal helicopter" for general aviation pilots. However, its low price and low DOCs made it a natural as a trainer. The result was that many inexperienced pilots were flying the R22, a helicopter that, early on at least, had some handling issues. The FAA re-evaluated the R22 and found it airworthy and mechanically sound. At that point, it was decided that pilot training should be the new focus.
Frank Robinson has managed to reverse the R22’s earlier reputation for being accident prone through personal determination, product improvements, and educating CFIs on the helicopter’s handling characteristics.
But even with these improvements, pilots should not become complacent. I don’t care how much time you have, the rotor goes south very, very quickly during the critical first second or two. Dealing with emergencies is a training quality issue. Learning piston throttle correlation control in a Robinson may benefit pilots who are training in turbine engine emergency procedures.
The JetRanger is typically known as the safest single-engine aircraft (including all single-engine airplanes). It’s more forgiving and has a proven 32-year record of reliability. But don’t think for a second that you can’t get killed in one. Remember that most accidents are not caused by mechanical failures, but by failures in judgment.
Remember, all high-time pilots were once low-time pilots. I’m still learning after 8,000 hours and 37 years with no accidents, incidents or violations. Stay focused.