Anyone have any experience/knowledge Re: flying, owning, maintaining and/or insuring one of these machines?

One of our neighbors has one. I think it’s been a pretty robust machine. It’s probably the lowest time one in existence and it is for sale so PM me if you want to get in touch with him. I’ve flown it. Can you stomach and 90 gph helicopter? I read every single accident report on the 222 and the Agusta 109 which is why I ended up with the 109. You should do the same.

Only second hand, but my IA works on EMS helicopters. I jokingly sent him an ad for a 222 a few weeks ago. His comment was “don’t even think about it!”

My understanding in the quick discussion we had about it is that there are some very expensive inspection(s) that occur fairly often. I can’t remember if it was mast or blade related.

AirWolf was a great show. A local petroleum company owned one and it was neat to watch it. A few used to zip around NYC decades ago and they just looked fast.

A wise person mentioned that his Augusta 109 was a billionaire’s helicopter. The 222 seems to fit right up there on the same perch albeit quite a bit ahead of the 109 in operating costs.

I was curious about the operating costs just for hoots and giggles and this post from Mig15 Pilot (scroll down 1/2 page) brought tears to my eyes:
https://helicopterforum.verticalreferen ... -overhaul/

The 222 is a 40+ year old helicopter and approximately a 50-ish year old design. About 30 years ago I worked on Jet Rangers and Hueys. I would have loved to have worked on the 222 as it sat in a nice air conditioned hangar most of the time.

To this date I still don’t love any helicopter more than I loved the Huey.

Good luck turning buckets of cash into vertical lift!

You said experience, so here’s mine (probably not what you’re hoping for):

My first job out of school was as a structural engineer on the Bell SuperCobra, we sometimes supported flight test. One day they popped some rivets during a test, and the bins were empty. The local Cherry distributor had some in stock. Given the usual big company red tape, there wasn’t time for proper PO’s and someone arranged a trade.

We took off in the corporate 222 for a 10min flight, landed at the distributor (probably Arlington, can’t remember where), here comes the local warehouse guy with a bag full of “samples”, out hops our guy for the exchange with an 8x10 glossy of the Cobra in marketing livery (gloss black with a fuselage-long metallic gold double stripe that turns into a striking Cobra by the cockpit), back in, spool back up and off we go!

We took off in the corporate 222 for a 10min flight


Hey Bob!

There and back on that day - you’ve got 20 minutes more experience in a 222 than I have!

John

Back in the mid 1980's our sheriff's aviation division took delivery of 2 Bell 222's. It didn't take very long for the mechanics and pilots to figure out what they were all about and as I recall they dumped them within the first year they had them and went back to the Huey's.

And at my old home drome (L67) Mercy Air was parting out a half dozen of the things and their hulks were piled up outside never to fly again.

Dave

It's a very good looking machine!

Are the Tory Burch slippers SWMBO is wearing there so that she can feel the anti-torque pedals better?

If so, my 185 instructor would be delighted. Thinner the better when flying a tail dragger.

I loved that show too. FWIW the modified 222 they used ended up in Germany as a medical transport and was involved in a fatal VFR to IMC crash.

I always thought they were a good looking machine. But I can't help but notice how you almost never see one anywhere. I can't even tell you the last time I ever saw one.

So 80s cool on the inside.

I hear the pilot is 80s cool, too! Looking forward to what the Tarver Air Force buys next!