Building a Safari Helicopter
There used to be a wesite here that documented my experiences as I was building a Safari helicopter kit produced by Canadian Home Rotors. I had hoped that by being totally open and sharing my knowledge and building experiences that it would encourage other builders to come forth and share their experiences and more importantly to share their tips and modifications. While I have made a few friends through here and they have shared information, this activity has failed to get more than a very few of the Safari community members involved. Since I no longer feel there is any personal incentive to update this site and I don't believe in publishing outdated data, it is with regret that I am choosing to remove this website.
Some simple facts:
I am not a dealer or broker for the Safari helicopter kit and receive no compensation of any kind from the factory ... not even a simple acknowledgement or insider tips.
I have spent a lot of time trying to keep this site updated and to distribute relevant information to other builders. Numerous requests seeking information to add to the website have fallen on deaf ears (eyes).
I have taken the time to answer in detail a lot of email questions from builders and potential purchasers about the kit. Many times I have not received even a simple acknowledgement, let alone a thank you.
Updating the website and answering questions has reduced my available building time at the hangar.
I have heard from several builders how the website saved them considerable time since they didn't have to re-invent the wheel or spend a lot of time researching various items or issues. However, with a one-way information flow this just means that my build time has been considerably lengthened as I documented my experiences.
I have made a bit of money from the sale of certain items, but I have tried to do this as a service and with a minimum of profit ... I highly doubt if my profits equal minimum wage for the time spent on these items ... in fact I know they don't.
For a very long time I have offered to send contactor catch diodes and/or copper mesh to builders for free, including postage. No one has ever contacted me about obtaining these.
CHR's website has only had a couple of simple photo updates in the last six months.
CHR has chosen to not update either the Construction Prints or Upgrade History documentation in the last five years even though there has been many physical changes.
I believe that CHR is very open and honest when talking to them on the phone but I would much rather see the various issues in print and distributed such that all interested parties can get all the facts rather than everyone having to individually call and try to dig them out. My biggest fear is that some important piece of information is overlooked because a builder and/or owner didn't know enough to ask the right question.
The final straw:
Over the last couple of years I have obtained quite a few governor systems and modified them for use on the Safari as I firmly believe that these are a very good safety item, especially for low time pilots. This has been done primarily as a service to other builders and these have then been sold to a very small market base with very little profit even though it took a lot of effort to find these units and the various expenses for phone, shipping, pre-payment and the various extras that I include in the package. I've even been burned with a few unuseable expensive pieces that I weeded out before other builders received them. Recently I've been contacted by several builders who indicated that they definitely wanted these units and I've gone through the effort of locating, purchasing, testing and modifying them. However, these potential purchasers have then chosen to back out once I had suitable units in hand and ready for shipment to them. Although I was moving away from supplying governor conversions, I reluctantly agreed to supply a system for one owner who then chose to directly purchase and convert his own system without informing me even though I was emailing him status updates on the unit I specifically obtained for him. Another owner demanded very quick turnaround on an interface device (gratis device that took a full day to build/test plus the cost of various supplies and shipping) even though he had a running machine and everything in his possession for over six months ... I never did get any feedback or even a simple thank you. etc. etc. While I wish these owners well with their endeavours, it is obvious to me that the sincerity of the community has changed with time and I'm no longer willing to invest money and considerable time to support people who only want information and options but fail to live up to their word or contribute back to the community.
Enough of the rant ... to the friends that I've made through here I can say that I will try to remain in contact. The rest of the community has spoken with their [in]actions. Perhaps there are new builders that shouldn't be lumped in with the others and I'll extend an apology to them if they feel slighted.
This is the one segment of the old website that I feel I cannot remove with a clear conscience since I know of no other place where some of these issues are documented. It is my perception that the Safari community and CHR have demonstrated that they are not willing to document these types of safety issues and I find that totally beyond my comprehension. I sincerely hope that none of these issues ever cause the loss of a machine or a life.
- Make sure it has "Safari" within the subject or it may go to the spam bucket.
Last updated: November 27, 2006