www.brantly.info

Where do you keep your Brantly-airport or home? If home have you had any problems with complaints from neighbors or zoning issues?

Hey Guy,

I kept mine at home for 6 years. My yard is a pretty tight spot so I never came in or out with anyone with me except skinny kids. For grownups, I'd fly to the church and pick them up in the parking lot. The church staff would just come out and waive.

I was forever talking to folks who saw me landing. They'd pull up in the driveway and wait for me to shutdown.
I live on property that was owned by my Great Grandfather. He owned a couple hundred acres (farmer) and handed it down to his descendents. All of my neighbors are cousins or cousins' kids. Not many complaints. They'd just say "well there goes Herschel and Geraldine's eccentric son!"

I had absolutely NO insurance (stupid but cheap). Didn't let that stop me from giving strangers rides, flying to schools for show and tell, landing at restaurants, Home Depot, and one night I even took a friend with me to downtown Atlanta, and landed (momentarily) on the Governor's Heli Pad at the Capitol building.

My cousin, straight across the road from me has a 100' tall pecan tree. I used it as my I.A.F. to fly into my back yard. One night (I LOVED flying at night) about 1 mile out, I flipped on my landing light. I didn't realize my generator had went out. The landing light used the last bit of juice in the battery and everything went dark at 1o ft above that pecan tree. It was a dark starless night. I was stupid and slowly decreased my altitude until I heard pecan tree twigs brushing the skids. That gave me situational awareness enough to shoot an approach to my carport light. It turned out good BUT IT WAS A REAL DUMB THING TO DO.

"Knock on Wood" I have had several experiences that could have easily turned into a statistic, but I have never scratched a single helicopter or airplane. Keep me in your prayers and maybe it will stay that way.

Here's the absolute worst Brain Fart that I ever had. When I sold my ship, part of the deal was I'd repaint the outer blades and have the helicopter professionally tracked and balanced. I was in my shop, the night before the scheduled T&B painting the blades. I screwed a 3" long 1/4"-20 concrete anchor into the tips of my blades so I could paint both sides on the saw horses.

The next morning, I mounted the 3 blades and only removed 2 of the concrete anchors. Have you ever looked at how close the rotor blades are to the T/R blades....3/4"?????? I FLEW THE HELICOPTER 30 MILES TO THE BALANCING FACILITY WITH THER 3" BOLT STICKING OUT A FULL 2.25" INTO THE TIP PATH OF THE TAIL ROTOR!!!! I guess I proved that it wasn't a problem huh?

I guess you guys are glad I got rid of it before I got killed huh?

Nice stories Bryan.

Bryan,
Those are some great stories and I can sure relate to them! Hope some others will chime in with a few as well.

Back when I had the Enstrom I can remember a really doozy of a skud running flight. The co-owner was a oil man and really wanted to get back to his destination. The weather of course was awful. Wound up IFR(I follow roads) to maintain VFR and it got lower and lower to where we were just barely clearing power lines. Finally put her down in a field at a cross roads intersection and of course everyone stopped and wanted to know if I'd run out of gas. No I had plenty of gas but just couldn't see to proceed further. Hitched a ride into town and waited it out. Funny how you only remember on the edge flights lol.

Btw when did you sell your Brantly? I looked at your old posts but couldn't determine when you might have let her go. Are you going to buy anything else or do you fly professionally? I think Dave Mathews mentioned you did his annual on his Brantly (correct me on that if I'm wrong) so I take it you have a shop there in Ga?

Sold mine about 3 years ago this past JAN. The IA that was responsible for my annuals was asked by Dave Matthews to do his. The IA wanted me involved since I was more Brantly-Fluent than he was. Dave actually brought it to my shop at my house, where the work was done. The IA visited every couple of days to inspect and advise. NOW THE STORY TURNS NASTY. I asked my "friend" (and I use that term loosely) of 25 years, who was a Pharmacist and owned a Seneca II, to come help me balance the tail rotor. I asked him because he, as a pharmacist, had a VERYYYYY accurate balance scale that weighed to the 100th of a gram that I could weigh washers etc. and move my data point very accurately. He was also a very experienced pilot whom I felt could man the flight controls without doing any damage or creating a safety hazard, as we ran Dave's ship up and down during the balancing. Long-story-short...my "friend" totally mutilated Dave's rotor brake actuator handle (force) and when I chastised him, he called the FAA and complained (he thought no one would know who did it) that an unlicensed mechanic was working on a certified aircraft in his "barn" and that he was installing Auto Parts Store bearings in the tail rotor.
The FAA sent and investigator and the IA and myself were inspected very closely for violations. The inspector saw that I had receipts from the Brantly factory for the CERTIFIED bearings, looked over my work, asked my IA a few questions, and went back to the FSDO to write my now "EX FRIEND" a letter that he found nothing!!! Oh by-the-way... the Inspector offered to sign me off to take the written for A&P solely based on what he saw.

I'm just focussed on my real job as a Pressure Vessel (Boiler) Designer now. We adopted a newborn girl from Las Vegas 6 years ago when I was 42! I have my hands full trying to be a parent now. Don't have time or $$ for a helicopter ever again! I DID manage to find and buy back the 66 Mustang Convertible that I had 30 years ago in high school!

Cool Picture of my HOBBY YARD... Circa 2005

Solo Day (21st Training Day)
Hooper Stagefield, Ft. Rucker Alabama
March 1987

Wow your ship and I assume that's Dave's in there as well were just beautiful. You did without question a tremendous job on them. I like the little helicopter pad trailers as well! The placarding/labeling detail on your machine really is something that jumped out at me in the lube photos. Do you still have the capability of making paint masks/stencils/stickers like that?

As to the "friend" that tried to be a whistleblower that is really sad someone would do that. Trying to keep vintage machines flying while jumping thru hoops with the FAA is a daunting task. The alternative is often just to ground a machine forever when the factory goes away but fortunately in most cases dedicated owners can find a way to keep em flying.

Finally if you solo'd in the military I take it you actually were a helicopter pilot in the military?

The car looks great as well! I'd love to find my 70 Chevelle. Also don't give up hope of coming back into the Brantly fold someday when a great deal comes around. After all you have a huge advantage over most owners since you know how to work on them!

Thanks for the kind words. Yes that is Dave Matthews' ship. At that moment, it still belonged to Mark Roberts. Two days later, it was Dave's. The little secret I didn't tell was I have a small sign business so I can cut decals of the stencil letters. I have been doing N-Numbers and markings for everyone at VPC for more than 10 years.
I did go to Army Flight School in 1986/87. Royal Blue Flight. Aircraft Choice - CH-47C Chinook. Stupid Army spent all that $ on me and medically disqual'd me in 89. Not so bad...The VA sent me to Southern Polytechnic in Mechanical Engineering. Then did 5 years as a GA State Trooper trying to get in Aviation, before settling in my pressure vessel job 10 yrs ago.