[JetCrazy]

That would be cool Andrew. But too expensive. There is a guy in the club with one. He does alot of maneuvers too. Loops, rolls, tick-tocks etc. Very neat to watch and hear.

JetCrazy

[AJCoholic]

Originally Posted by JetCrazy

That would be cool Andrew. But too expensive. There is a guy in the club with one. He does alot of maneuvers too. Loops, rolls, tick-tocks etc. Very neat to watch and hear.

JetCrazy

I am going to see how that Bergen 44 Magnum does in the next year - looks like a fun heli based on the Wren 44 power unit, and wont cost more than an average turbine sport jet model.

Oh well its nice to have dreams, right?

AJC

[hs748]

First heli was a MFA 500!

[Phil Noel]

Originally Posted by hs748

First heli was a MFA 500!

I am curious - did you ever get it to fly successfully for any length of time??

[AJCoholic]

Originally Posted by Phil Noel

I am curious - did you ever get it to fly successfully for any length of time??

Phil, when I was looking into getting involved with helis (and before I had any computer radio) I ordered the video from Hobby Lobby on the fixed pitch MFA500 - they actually flew it in that video But one guy in Kirkland Lake had one, I dont think it ever had any success, at least that I am aware of. I still have some of the drive parts off of it he gave me when it was wrecked.

AJC

[agravan]

I had a GMP Cobra, converted it to a King Cobra. Than I had a baron alpha 2. The only heli I have now is a blade 400. I fly mostly airplanes now. I started in the mid eighties.

[hs748]

Originally Posted by Phil Noel

I am curious - did you ever get it to fly successfully for any length of time??

Umm, no. It was pretty much a waste of time!

At the time, I was quite young, and had very little patience/skill/knowledge, so that might have been a big factor!

I also had that VHS video from Hobby Lobby on the MFA. Must have watched it 50 times!

[kevinb902]

Shuttle ZX had a few of them .next move was to Xcells that was 16 years ago

[Phil Noel]

Originally Posted by hs748

Umm, no. It was pretty much a waste of time!

At the time, I was quite young, and had very little patience/skill/knowledge, so that might have been a big factor!

I also had that VHS video from Hobby Lobby on the MFA. Must have watched it 50 times!

I figured so. I also had never seen one fly successfully.

Steve Gray/Flightcraft used to organize an annual symposium for a number of years in Kitchener and have some of us more experience fellows attend it to give seminars etc. He used to also have a "set-up" clinic in his store during this symposium where we would help anyone set-up their heli.

One year there was a poor fellow who came in with a used MFA H500 that he reported he could never get flying. Myself, Steve & Richard Atkinson where already occupied helping others and the only fellow free at the time was Cliff Hyatt. If memory serves me correctly, even Cliff was not able to get it flying!!

I have spoken to a Brit who was able to get his airborne on occasion but he said that the times that he was able to get some air under the skids was always cut rather short due to numerous component failures.

[Phil Noel]

Originally Posted by AJCoholic

Phil, when I was looking into getting involved with helis (and before I had any computer radio) I ordered the video from Hobby Lobby on the fixed pitch MFA500 - they actually flew it in that video But one guy in Kirkland Lake had one, I dont think it ever had any success, at least that I am aware of. I still have some of the drive parts off of it he gave me when it was wrecked.

AJC

Well, it seems that it was fortunate for you, that you ignored the tape & did not spend any coin on purchasing one.

About 14 years ago, one of the hobby shops here in Richmond had purchased a hundred or so 30 sized kits from a company in Taiwan that I had never heard of. The heli really looked good on paper as it was an all CNC aluminum job that it was only selling for about $150.00

They gave one to a local fellow to fly in order to promote it. He was never able to get it to fly, even after he had a friend machine some new parts so he finally gave up on it.

Unfortunately for some unlucky fellows, they advertised them years later on the web, And I understand that they were able to flog them all to these unsuspecting people.

In hindsight, I think it was more of an investment immigration scam then a legitimate business proposition.