Ultimate New York to Los Angeles Adventure Ultimate New York to Los Angeles Adventure: A blog about a man who once dreamed of flying across the country. Blogs Helicopter for Sale: The Quest for the Ultimate Adventure Machine Ultimate New York to Los Angeles Adventure: A blog about a man who once dreamed of flying across the country.
He grew up in New York, and it was there that he first became interested in aircraft. As a young boy, he spent hours watching planes take off from La Guardia Airport and imagining what it would be like to be at the controls. His dream was to fly all the way across the country. But due to his fear of heights, it wasn’t until he was 43 years old that he finally took flying lessons.
Now, four years later, John is ready to make his dream come true. He’s selling his house in Los Angeles and buying a helicopter so that he can fly across the country. He plans to leave next month. Stay tuned for updates on his progress!
The ultimate New York to Los Angeles adventure: An experienced pilot flies a Bell 47 Single-Rotor Helo.
For the past two years I have been living the dream of flying across the country in a helicopter. But now it is time for me to pass this amazing machine on to the next lucky pilot.
The aircraft is a Bell 47G2A, manufactured in 1969. The G2A model is powered by a Lycoming VO-435 piston engine, and has a top speed of 105 mph (88 kts). It is currently registered as N89500, and has been kept at my private heliport in South Los Angeles for the past two years.
I am asking $250,000 for this ultimate cross-country helicopter. I have thoroughly enjoyed flying her from coast to coast, but it is time for me to move on to other projects. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this aircraft and its capabilities.
I have always wanted to fly a helicopter. I remember as a kid being fascinated with helicopters and dreaming of one day being able to fly one myself. That dream has never gone away, and several years ago I decided to make that dream a reality.
Over the past few years I have spent probably too much money on flying lessons, but it has been worth every penny. Now that I am done with my flying lessons, I am ready to buy my own helicopter and take it on an adventure across the country. But first I need to sell my car so that I can come up with the cash for a used helicopter (and the cost of maintenance).
I plan to start in New York City and work my way across the country to Los Angeles via various routes depending on weather, time available, etc. Along the way I will be blogging about my experiences and documenting every step of this journey. From what route I take, where I stop along the way, how much it costs, how much time it takes… everything will be documented here on this blog.
A helicopter is a great way to get around Los Angeles. We don’t have many roads, so we’re used to getting around by air. But if you want to make a movie about a helicopter in Los Angeles, it’s surprisingly hard to find one. A friend of mine who makes movies was telling me this.
“How do you mean?” I asked. “People here use helicopters all the time.”
“Yes,” he said, “but they keep them in places like Burbank and Van Nuys, where there are big airports with long runways for them to take off from. I can’t get permission to film there.”
But at that moment we happened to be driving on Sunset Boulevard, and I pointed out the window: “Look! There’s a helicopter!”
Sure enough, in front of us was an actual operational helicopter sitting on the parking lot of a restaurant called Dan Tana’s, right on Sunset Boulevard. And parked next to it was a Ferrari. It was like something out of Miami Vice. My friend jumped out and took some pictures.
So I called up Dan Tana’s and asked them if they knew anyone who would sell me their helicopter. They said they’d ask around. After that we could go visit the owner
The story of my helicopter trip begins with my first flying lesson. I was a few days past my 16th birthday and had been working after school at an airport (the real kind, not the one in Queens). One of the pilots asked me if I wanted to take a flying lesson. He said he would trade me an hour of flight training for two hours of washing airplanes.
I agreed and that afternoon we went out to the airplane. He did a pre-flight inspection, acting like he was talking to another pilot, instead of a kid who had never even ridden in a small plane before. He started the engine, then taxied to the end of the runway and turned around so we were pointed back at the airport buildings. When he opened up the throttle and we started down the runway, I got really scared and almost told him to stop, but things happened too fast. By the time I thought of it we were airborne. We climbed out over Long Island Sound and headed towards Hartford, Connecticut. He explained how to steer by using foot pedals that moved rudders on the tail.
He showed me how to make turns by leaning the plane left or right with my body (using an “artificial horizon” instrument) until we were heading where I wanted
The helicopter is currently in Van Nuys and will be available for viewing after September 26, 2007.
The helicopter has been maintained and serviced on a regular basis. The aircraft is in great condition and ready to fly. All maintenance and records are up to date.
The helicopter features a Garmin 430 GPS/NAV/COM system, King KX165A NAV/COM with Glideslope, King KT76A Mode C Transponder, Garmin GMA340 Audio Panel with Intercom, Kannad 406 ELT, Terra TMA9300 Traffic Advisory System (TAS) (purchased new 2006), RDR-2000 Vertical Profile Weather Radar (purchased new 2004), J.E.T. Electronics Engine Monitoring System, KMA-24 Audio Panel with Marker Beacon Receiver, Garmin 396 GPS with XM Weather (purchased new 2007), Garmin 296 GPS with XM Weather (backup).
The helicopter also has a newly installed air conditioning unit which works perfectly. A Bose headset is included in the purchase price of the helicopter.
The Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter is a four-seat light helicopter produced by Robinson Helicopter. Based on the company’s two-seat Robinson R22, the four-seat R44 features hydraulically assisted flight controls. It was first flown on 31 March 1990, and received FAA certification in December 1992, with the first delivery in February 1993. The R44 has been the world’s best-selling general aviation (GA) helicopter every year since 1999. As of June 2016, 5,677 R44s had been delivered throughout the world.
The R44 has a two-bladed semi-rigid rotor system, T-bar cyclic and the latest in Robinsons streamlined instrument panel design. Power is provided by a Lycoming IO-540 fuel injected piston engine of 225 hp (168 kW).
The Raven II was introduced in 1998 and like previous models is available in standard passenger configuration or as a Raven I with a smaller passenger door for aerial photography or other roles that require an unobstructed view to one side.
In 2006 Robinson introduced a third door option with room for an additional passenger seated sideways behind the pilot. The Raven II can also be fitted with floats, skis or a cargo hook.