Found on Government Surplus: Spinny Floaty Boi

[ForSweden]

1998 Robinson R-44 Clipper Helicopter

One (1) - 1998 Robinson R-44 Clipper Helicopter
Please see the video link below.

To see video please go to:

The viewing will be outside the hangar on the front ramp area and only the outside of the aircraft will be viewable, no opening of any doors, panels or cowlings will be allowed, the aircraft logs will not be accessible for viewing additionally there will be no one available to answer any questions regarding this aircraft, all information is on the posting or in the additional attachments.

General questions – Please contact [REDACTED] at [REDACTED] or by phone at [REDACTED] Tuesday – Friday 8 am to 5:30 pm with any general questions about an item, such as location of the item, hours to view an item or non-technical questions.

Packing and shipping – Please contact one of the many local shipping companies in the Anchorage area to arrange pick up of an auction item if an out of state buyer, We will try and keep the items in any box, packing or container from the manufacture but we do not pack or ship items that is up to the winning buyer. We make no warranties on the condition or authenticity of the property. All sales are "As is - Where is." Do not use information listed on tags, stickers, tickets, or etchings that are located to any property item as an indicator of condition, serviceability, or authenticity. Contact: Robert Eller 907 269-5952 for any questions regarding the property, to set up a date/time to view the property, or to pick up the property if you are the winning bidder. THE BUYER MUST CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT PRIOR TO VIEWING OR PICKING UP THE PROPERTY. Please wait 1 business day after the closing of the auction for paperwork to be completed so the item can be released. Physical inspection of property prior to placing a bid is highly encouraged. Pick-up: Successful bidder will be responsible for arranging removal of property item(s) within 5 business days of proof of payment and any cost associated with the removal.

PLEASE LOOK INTO SHIPPING PRICES BEFORE YOU BID.

Location: Anchorage

Reference/Tag Number (for internal informational purpose only): N/A

IRIS CNV#

Form # 3036

[beefchips]

@forsweden Seems like "does it actually work" is the most relevant question here.

[ForSweden]

@beefchips It spins good in the video

[Just Jeepin']

Well, @rctothefuture is looking for a boat....close enough?

[6MT_FTW]

"PLEASE LOOK INTO SHIPPING PRICES BEFORE YOU BID." Does this imply that you cannot, I don't know, fly it to your destination?

[nth256]

"AIRWORTHINESS NOT IMPLIED"

I'm stealing this phrase.

[nth256]

@6mt_ftw Considering the need to stop and refuel, depending on where it is, you might not be able to. Which would explain his "as-is-where-is" declaration.

[beefchips]

@forsweden said in Found on Government Surplus: Spinny Floaty Boi:

@beefchips It spins good in the video

True! I was struck by the big red letters "AIRWORTHINESS NOT IMPLIED"

[Skyfire77]

@forsweden As with all exotic/high performance vehicles, the costs of care and feeding will exceed the purchase price in very short order:

The Underestimated Costs

I knew from the start that the document was overly optimistic for my situation. Some of the numbers just didn’t seem right.

• Back then, Robinson was calculating labor at $55/hour. At the same time, I had one mechanic charging me $95/hour and another charging me $105/hour. Later, I had a mechanic who charged me $75/hour. The local airplane fix-it guy, who I sent to the Robinson maintenance course, was the least expensive, charging me $45/hour at first but then bumping it up to $55/hour. He didn’t have the experience or specialized tools for the helicopter-specific inspections and maintenance I sometimes needed. So Robinson’s labor estimate was understated by 30-40%. (Nowadays, Robinson estimates $70/hour, which is still very low.)

• Robinson’s estimated fuel and oil costs were consistently lower than what I was paying. That baffled me. Robinson is based in California, which has some of the highest taxes on fuel around. Just crossing the border from Arizona to California, you can expect to spend 50¢ more per gallon on auto fuel. Yet even today, they’re estimating $4.50/gallon for fuel. Tell that to the folks at Grand Canyon, who hit me up for $6/gallon early this month. And 14 gallons per hour? Realistically, its more like 15-17 gallons per hour. And oil: Robinson estimates 50¢/hour. Where did that come from? The W100+ oil I use costs about $6/quart and I seem to be adding a quart every 5 hours or so. Do the math.

• Robinson’s insurance costs are based on Pathfinder rates. Pathfinder has a special relationship with Robinson that keeps its rates low. The annual premium in the current estimated operating costs — around $11,000 — aren’t too far off from what I paid when I insured with them for my commercial operation. Unfortunately, however, Robinson prorates this fixed annual amount over 500 hours of flight time per year. How many private owners — the same guys buying the expensive cars Robinson is comparing its helicopters to — fly 500 hours per year? I run a business with my helicopter and still don’t fly more than 200 hours a year on average. (Most private pilots fly less than 100 hours a year.) Take that $11,000 and divide it by 200 and the hourly cost for insurance alone is $55 — not the $22 figure Robinson uses.

[ClassicDatsunDebate]

@forsweden all the capacity of a STOL without all the safety. CP.

[Skyfire77]

@6mt_ftw I would assume that, even if it is airworthy, you can't fly it until it's FAA registered, which would take some time.

[ForSweden]

@skyfire77 I think you have to change the rotors after 2000 hours as well.

[BicycleBuck]

Overhaul time: 2,200 hours or every 12 years, whichever comes first.

Overhaul Cost: $194,800

Assuming it is currently flight-worthy, you have about 166 hours of flight time left before it requires an overhaul. That's about two years of flying (averaging 40hr/yr) for the average GA pilot.

[rctothefuture]

@just-jeepin hmm. Maybe he'll trade for a 4Runner, pistol and $200? Highest I go will $300.

[kiltedpadre]

Hmm, airworthiness not guaranteed, close to time for an overhaul, and I can’t even look at the maintenance logs to see whether any maintenance items were deferred after it was taken out of service; lemme think about that.

[nowhere]

Government operated light aircraft can be - and often are - absolute nightmares to bring into civilian service. What little is visible under the cowlings and cover in the pictures doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. Odds are high this one would need the all-out factory overhaul immediately so it would have to be damn near free. Even then it has all the appeal of buying a used condom in the hopes of saving money. As for flying it as is I'll put it this way: fly it? I wouldn't even stand under it!

[Skyfire77]

@nowhere Or as Jeff Foxworthy said:

"Buying a used rental car is kind of like going to a house of ill repute looking for a wife. Anything that's been driven that hard by that many people, you really don't want to put your key in it."