RotorX-no-more: Just Helicopter Build Thread

For a frigging moment I thought you were born in '98

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We have a couple of ex. Piedmont Dash8’s in our fleet :slight_smile:

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@Troll. Sorry but NOT Piedmont. It’s a sore subject for those of us who grew up around the airline. There was once a regional feed for real Piedmont called Henson Airlines. Piedmont was absorbed into USAir which was folded into America West which was folded into American. But back to that first step: USAir. There was very much a “North versus South” dynamic both within the company and within the region. USAir was not well liked, north or south. Piedmont was flat adored in the south. USAir decided to kill the mark (or prevent someone else from taking it) by changing the name of Henson to “Piedmont”. That’s way more information than any of you need to know but I had to get it off my chest.

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My Piedmont ID is somewhere around (DOH 10/88). This guy has us both beat! My dad (RIP)

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I worked for a competitor, but had heard that about Piedmont as well.

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Oof, right in the feels.

I have a long, long rant about all the hospital mergers from working adjacent to the industry in engineering support, but that’s for an entirely different area altogether. But this is what happens when places that used to be about delivering a good or service get bought by entities that are only about making as much profit as possible (see also: Boring).

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Ok, all info I have is the various production lists and the info in the A/C docs.

So sorry if I stirred up some hurt here. That was not my intention.

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Hensen (or Henson) was a subsidiary and Piedmont Airlines owned the planes (but did non of the flying). In the states, the regional feed is entirely separate from the mainline carrier. But the carrier often owns the planes and leases them back to the lowest bidder when contracting out the lift. The real Piedmont airlines, before USAir killed it had B737-200, B737-400, B727, and B757 (and maybe DC-9–memory fails me). Anyway, it’s cool that those old birds are still serving half a world away.

And no hurt. It was an old source of both scorn and laughter from WAY back.

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Thread derail successful…!

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I have another project in mind so I spent a couple of days putting it back together, reclaiming some hangar floorspace. This is actually the first time I have ever totally assembled with fasteners as opposed to clecos. This was also the first time I’ve touched the helicopter since my brother and I put the tail rotor on last July, almost a year to the day. You might think it was bittersweet. But I really enjoyed the hands-on time. There are a few spots that make me groan in shame but overall I am happy with the work even if it will likely never fly.








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For what it is worth. The fit, finish and attention to detail (from what I can see) is second to none. Especially those floor and back of seat plates.

Who cares if it doesn’t fly? You will have built something you can be proud of… or you should be proud of the effort you have put in and at the very least will have a 1:1 scale helicopter model to hang from the roof of your man cave :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Add a motion base and you’re are 90% of the way to the most awesome helo simpit in existence.

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…do tell…

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A hovering Humvee!

I don’t want to jinx it. When the box arrives I’ll post. The whole thing feels a bit like groundhog day to me, which must be doubly true for all of you.

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such a shame it will never fly… the workmanship you have put in to that helo is amazing, and it was so close

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needs to be at night with tracers :smiley:

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A friend of mine in Maryland was in the same position as me when RotorX pooped the bed. He’s an A&P, A/I and former Blackhawk pilot who’s also built an RV-8. So he beings a lot to the hangar that I never could. Still, I figured another year. Nope! It’s 95% done. DAR inspection in a couple of weeks.

Do I feel a bit jealous? Sort of. Back when the poop hit the fan he even called to tell me that he would duplicate every effort to get us both flying. But I just didn’t see how it was possible to source all the little stuff that are essential for the thing to get off the ground. Anyway, I can’t wait to see it fly! Hopefully in the spring. I’ll come down for the event if he lets me.

As for me I do have an iron in the fire. More on that if/when it ever shows up.

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