Expensive hobbies

[Raydar]

& you thought we had an expensive hobby
My boss picked his new toy up last week end & hasn’t left it along all bloody week “Can’t blame him really”.
O well you can’t take your money to the grave HA??


Click for bigger!!!

Click for bigger!!!

Click for bigger!!!

This ones for you Birdy




Cheers
Ray

[birddog114]

Raydar,
"well you can’t take your money to the grave HA??"

That's the question I asked myself many time.

[Raydar]

Raydar,
"well you can’t take your money to the grave HA??"

That's the question I asked myself many time.

I got the saying from you mate

Cheers
Ray

[Onyx]

Dang, how much would one of those set ya back?!?

My previous expensive hobby pales in comparison to this current digital photography... I used to be a flashlight fanatic. I have the obligatory collection of Maglites - most are now sold, a Streamlight Scorpion - as seen in the CSI shows, a small collection of Surefire "tactical illumination tools" (http://www.surefire.com), including one with shock isolated bezel that makes the light able to withstand the recoil of a 12 gauge shotgun. They take expensive lithium primary batteries, a set of two lasts 20 minutes; so at a cost of $60/hour to run!

[Raydar]

To buy the chopper in kit form you’re looking at around the $120000 to $140000 mark.
He picked this one up with 120 hours on it for 75000g.
With all the modifications the previous owner had put on the thing he got an awesome deal.
There’s about 50g’s worth of mods on the thing.

Cheers
Ray

[Glen]

Seems good value Raydar at $75k. Does he keep it at an airstrip or does he have a helipad at home?

You should get him to take you up in a storm in it to do some of your famous weather shots.

[Raydar]

We made a helly pad at his home, all we have to do is put a slab down now to keep the debris down on take off & landings.

A chopper is not the best thing to chase storms in mate, get court in an updraft in a chopper & it’s all over, but we’re going to do some Arial shots for the farmers around the place to see if we can sell some images.

Cheers
Ray

[Glen]

Had a feeling it could be wild and wooly in a chopper at storm time (only been up in good weather) but it sure would be exciting. Mate just go take shots of the best area in town (or Byron or Wategos, etc) people love shots of their own house from the air

[birddog114]

Had a feeling it could be wild and wooly in a chopper at storm time (only been up in good weather) but it sure would be exciting. Mate just go take shots of the best area in town (or Byron or Wategos, etc) people love shots of their own house from the air

Raydar,
Ask the boss invest in the D2h or D2x with number of lenses and you'll do the photos while he flies you around.
Convince him to make money that way. Great venture.

[jethro]

hey ray
get yourself a bloody good harness
you wouldn't want to end up a fried egg

[birddog114]

hey ray
get yourself a bloody good harness
you wouldn't want to end up a fried egg

Don't worry, I'll loan him one if he get into that road, I have heli flight helmet, pilot parachute, survival kits and G jeans (I don't think he needs the G jeans) and plastic bag to hang over he breast in case he get sick.

[Raydar]

Mite take you up on that birdy

Cheers
Ray

[birddog114]

Thinking of buying a Cessna 182 seven years ago, but then worked it out with lot of commitments and hidden costs (storage, parking, insurance, maintenance etc...) down the track, same as buying a warbird as the L-19/ 01A/E Bird dog from VN war and do the restoration here, cheapest way but then after it will have the same commitments

http://www.warbirdalley.com/l19.htm

then I gave up, perhaps next life.

Nice to have and flying your own bird, now just hiring if I want to airborne.

[Raydar]

This is why my boss sold his plane, to dear to keep & maintain.
He spent 2 years rebuilding a Cessna from 2 crashed units.
The chopper works out to be much cheaper to own & run, keeping it at home is a bonus.

Cheers
Ray

[birddog114]

Yep, you're right! and luckily he has a big property up there in the rural area otherwise Local Council and neigbour will shoot it down.

Enjoying flying in the chopper for sightseeing or short trip and have to be very good weather, to fly a heli is required more skills than flying a fixed wing. Anyway fixed wing is more safer.

[Raydar]

Fully agree mate!!!!!!!
I'm going to have a go at flying this thing once he gets the hang of it.

Cheers
Ray

[birddog114]

Learn from him how to do preflight check as sign of leaking hydraulic (red colour oil) by using your finger or a white tissue, "Jesus nut" up the top of the rotor and many things, you'll be in his ground crew team or what we call is "crew chief".
Lot of fun in learning and flying.

[gstark]

Fully agree mate!!!!!!!
I'm going to have a go at flying this thing once he gets the hang of it.

Ray.

Just one observation: don't do a crash course.

[birddog114]

Gary,
How many shot did you managed to take last night?

[gstark]

Last night was a quiet night for me, so nada.

[Matt. K]

Hey Raydar
Just take care when changing lenses that you don't drop one out the door. There is a very real risk of it being blown into the tail rotor. That would end the flight... and everything else.

[Raydar]

Hey Raydar
Just take care when changing lenses that you don't drop one out the door. There is a very real risk of it being blown into the tail rotor. That would end the flight... and everything else.

This is good advice mate!!!!! THANKS
Gary: I think I will miss that day mate!!!!

Cheers
Ray