Rotorway ownership

[Tim Morris]

Now I have to go smoke some more crack.

[Justin Travis]

Originally Posted by Tim Morris

Now I have to go smoke some more crack.

8 hours, bottle to throttle

Be pissed off, but again, find a guy who has been around these for 20 years and see if any will make the statement that a perfectly built RW is as safe as a certified. You wont. Dont shoot the messenger. I hope it makes you think and you have many safe enjoyable years in your Rotorway.

[David Fuller]

I have been doing the Rotorway thing for about 44 years starting in 1978 with a Scorpion 133. My conclusion is that there is a lot more to safety than just the nuts and bolts. That is why certified helicopters can and do fall out of the sky and some Rotorway pilots live a long life to tell of the wonderful flying they have experienced.

[homer bell]

Just got done writing a long post and the machine said it couldn’t print it for some reason I’ll try and remember what I wrote and do it again using the voice app which I never use last year when I got ready to load my ship on the trailer I noticed a faint smell of rubber burning and a noise that sounded a little different turned out the bracket that holds the belt tension on the water pump and alternator had broken and the alternator was rubbing against the main drive belts. How do I continued had I continued I will could’ve had some serious issues and it’s not for an incline sang how do I continued with this condition I could’ve had serious problems imagine how I had been in the 50 miles in the outback or the wilderness of Alaska and not being able to sit down and look at my problem. This would not have been good. Over the years I have dropped two exhaust valves in different engines both engines had no problems that’s known problems so it was really no great surprise when these happened. These machines are much safer than they were 20 years ago but we must realize that we do not have a certified aircraft engine or little engine is under good bit more stress than a certified helicopter engine. While the engine is much better than it used to be it’s still does not live up to white a certified engine is. Our ship is very safe for a new student or pilot it doesn’t have any unusual flight characteristics that would kill you if you made a bad mistake. For this reason it is a great starter helicopter for someone that tonight jump right into a certified helicopter the expense is much less and makes it available to the common man. But failure to realize that the machine has more risk could be fatal. We must operate these machines in a much more conservative manner to make sure that we are safe. Bill or‘s that’s ORTH I believe it was trying to tell us that we should fly our machines like they were made of glass that was one of his mini statements and he was probably right or machines are probably more fragile than certified machines as much as we would like them to be it just isn’t that way.

[homer bell]

I’m not going to go back and fix all the errors and the stupid machine did but you get the idea

[Justin Travis]

Homer. Hope you are well. Was talking about you last night. We watched a Jeff Dunham special w/ my inlaws and I told the story how he came to the fly-in and the old VHS tape you had of him performing. Fun memories.

Anyway....I am a nobody in this community but anyone who even thinks about owning a RW should know who you are. I have always appreciated the guy you are and the path that you plotted for all of us that followed.

Thank you for sharing your opinion. Bill was a cool guy for sure. I love that he came on here and shared info (as best he could). I got to spend a day with him when I ferried a 22 back from Vegas many moons ago. Plus the time at the fly-in, he was really a guy to be missed.

All good here. Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year. Feet have been on the ground for a while here. Racing cars these days with my 14 year old son. Always pictured I would be teaching him to fly but his passion for cars has rubbed off on me. Life is good!

[homer bell]

Hang in there Buddy, glad to hear from you. Many on here don’t know your history and can’t appreciate the knowledge. We’ll keep trying to keep them reasonable safe and still enjoy the thrill of flying .
My twin grandsons are 15 now and I want them to fly, but I hope they can move up someday to certified machine for any career moves . They fly the RW very well now, but always worry that something could happen if they started flying a lot.

[homer bell]

The two valves I dropped were in engines that had some issues. So it wasn’t a Big Surprise when they failed. Certified engines drop valves too, but it can many times be traced back to way they were operated. We should never shut our engines down without a proper cool down.

[David Fuller]

Homer thanks for all you have done for the Rotorway community. The work you have put into it has been invaluable. These machines do have to be flown conservatively. And they have to be well maintained and cared for. I knew a fellow that kept his Exec stored outside with a John Stump cover on it. It was outside in all kinds of weather and thunderstorms and wind with only a string holding the blade to the tail boom. He wanted me to go flying with him. I told him it was not going to happen. He died when his chopper came apart at 300 ft and fell to the ground. Safety has to be on our minds at all times if it is a homebuilt or certified machine. I also remember a fellow near here that was killed when he was hot dogging it in a Hughes 500 and ran it into the ground. Helicopters are very thrilling to fly but they can hurt you.

[Eric Anderson]

This will come across stupidly no matter how I phrase it. But I appreciate what ALL of you have to say in this discussion. A dozen times I have considered cancelling my RotorX kit order. The prospect of undertaking such a project is not a comfortable one. Discussions like this one definitely DO NOT make the prospect more comforting. But the fact that experienced builders continue to BUILD, TEACH, INSPECT, MAINTAIN, and FLY these machines IS a comfort and a dose of reality. So thank you all. Keep sparring. It helps.

[homer bell]

Every helicopter pilot should be VERY WELL trained for engine outs. In the earlier days this was the most common reason for forced landings and crashes. Frankly, the ignition system were junk. Since 1990, this hardly EVER is the reason .

If your flying your ship conservatively, and not over a National forest or Lake Michigan, an engine out should not be to big of a deal. Our RW’s auto reasonable well, and with good training no should ever be hurt from an engine out.

Will expand on these thoughts later, I’m presently working on a new Talon kit in Fla with its new owner. Just not enough time anymore.

[Tim Morris]

Originally Posted by Eric Anderson

This will come across stupidly no matter how I phrase it. But I appreciate what ALL of you have to say in this discussion. A dozen times I have considered cancelling my RotorX kit order. The prospect of undertaking such a project is not a comfortable one. Discussions like this one definitely DO NOT make the prospect more comforting. But the fact that experienced builders continue to BUILD, TEACH, INSPECT, MAINTAIN, and FLY these machines IS a comfort and a dose of reality. So thank you all. Keep sparring. It helps.

Exactly! What I guess I was unable to convey in my earlier posts is that I do not fly ANYTHING unless I feel SAFE doing so. All aircraft have limits and all pilots have limits. I have seen certified aircraft that where piles of junk and not maintained well. I have seen experimental aircraft that are pristine. I think the Rotorway is a great design but it must be built properly, maintained, and flown within it's limits. If I did not feel safe flying my Rotorway I wouldn't.

[Justin Travis]

Originally Posted by Eric Anderson

This will come across stupidly no matter how I phrase it. But I appreciate what ALL of you have to say in this discussion. A dozen times I have considered cancelling my RotorX kit order. The prospect of undertaking such a project is not a comfortable one. Discussions like this one definitely DO NOT make the prospect more comforting. But the fact that experienced builders continue to BUILD, TEACH, INSPECT, MAINTAIN, and FLY these machines IS a comfort and a dose of reality. So thank you all. Keep sparring. It helps.

Just want to not get confused. The rotorway is the best kit helicopter period. The most critical parts, the rotorsystem and blades are about bullet proof. (except for it's limited articulation which is about 1/2 of what certified ships have). Which is why you have ballast and have to be MUCH more careful how you operate in cross / tailwind situations, slope landings etc.

When Orv was down in my neck of the woods we were all out flying together. I was surprised, but he truly followed roads and fields ALL THE TIME. He also was flying about 200' higher than I usually flew.

Talking with him, I came away with a ton of respect for a guy who has 'been there, done that'.

So the answer from many guys with good experience is the rotorway can and indeed be a safe helo, it is not to be treated like a certified ship. Not a bash or RW at all. A helo is an incredibly demanding mechanical device. The fact that you can even build a capable one is amazing.


I built an experimental and after doing it, I realized I did it for the wrong reasons.

I THOUGHT it would be more affordable. I however did not account for the MASSIVE amount of time one dedicates to the project. If you are like me, you will want to learn and explore many paths during construction. After all, you are putting your life on the line.

I also underestimated the personal cost and sacrifice of time. I spent many many hours out in the garage working on it while I had young kids at home. I was too deep into it to stop working on it, but it caused a wedge with me and my wife. I really just wanted to be flying, but I had to build it.

Lastly, I dreamed I would be flying it just like I pictured flying a certified ship. Despite some VERY high time pilots advising me against it, I still held the dream it could be done.


In the end, my advice is the Rotorway is for a guy who wants to build it as much as they want to fly. You will spend many many more hours building the ship than it will ever fly. Thousands of hours if you are a detail oriented guy. If that is not part of what you are dreaming of, perhaps you might re-consider. I remember seeing the RW add with the guy fishing in a river where he just set his helo down. Go into fully knowing what it is and is not.


None of what I am posting is negative. The rotorway can be a good and enjoyable ship for people. Personally, I found out that what I wanted out of a helicopter, I could not really do in a RW, or do it with the margin of safety that should be taken.

Good luck whatever direction you go! Just dont forget, the build should be as important a factor in your decision as the flying. You will spend a lot more time building it!

[Claude Laforest]

Hi Justin, I am nowhere near a old helo guy with knowledge but I disagree with you that cost is as much as a certified helicopter with a Rotorway.

The Rotorway is the ONLY helicopter that permited me to own one. Why ? Because first the purchase price is much less. Second, the maintenance can be done by yourself.
MY TIME IS FREE.

I looked at the possibility to buy a what I felt was the cheapest certified helicopter to BUY on the market. The Enstrom. I found one at $75K canadian and went to look at it. I was pleased with it and started to check the feasability of the project.

I know a few owners who like them and we have a local certified mechanic that is licensed for Enstrom and had a good discution with him and we both thought I could be own one of these for a relatively reasonable fee.

I then started to calculate the real cost of owning one. When I looked at ALL the scheduled maintenance It was clear it DIDN'T COMPARE AT ALL with the Rotorway. If some of you think Rotorway parts are expensive check with certified ones.

I now know that to own a certified helicopter I would need to be a partner with two more guys. An some of us for some reason don't want that.

[Eric Anderson]

Love the registration call-sign!