Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Yes please, I want one...
The first helicopter I ever saw do a barrel roll was a Bell 407. It was July 2004 and thanks to this new website 'YouTube' [which went on to do pretty well] an act of spontaneous piloting followed an equally expensive loop to delight the present crowd, entertain millions and unleashed an elephant sized pile of fecal matter on the pilot. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should and when the devil on your shoulder whispers “..this will impress the chicks”, your guardian angel should slap you soundly and whisper “hey stupid! Is your name Chuck and is your helicopter covered in red bull stickers?” A broadcast worthy moment will pass along with the wrath of responsible people on your pilot licence.
The internet is the number one location to celebrate poor judgement with millions of obliging followers and soon Bell Helicopters exercised their option to penalise the stupid and the pilot disappeared into witness protection. The owner hemorrhaged money for inspections and a freshly inspected Bell 407 flew off into the sunset.
If you are wondering this is NOT that Bell 407 and the positive spin on the incident was the statement of strength and agility inherent in the genetics of the Bell 407. Despite the condemnation, there is no such thing as bad press for any marketing department and there’s good reason the US Military operated variants of the 407 as a scout ship. It’s a hooligan, notoriously fast with class leading control power and sexy lines that scream - watch this! Whether in battle or the boardroom, having a platform that pulls 900 kg on the hook and cruises at 130 knots makes a corporate statement of wealth and exclusivity valued by thousands of executives.
Flying a Helicopter comes with the obligation to make dozens of decisions every minute. If you buy this Bell 407 and execute a stunt blatantly banned by the Limitations Section of the Flight Manual, it’s good to know that the thousands of cheering spectators should expect you to come out of it okay but a lot poorer. The million Instagram clicks better be worth it…