Im swiss so I did aome research: There are multiple newspaper reports, but without pictures. I sent a request to the local police department but their archive doesnt have anything that far back. They even asked (now retired) officers that worked the case but no pictures there eigther. if somebody wants to dig further: the helicopter was owned by (now out of business) Neuchatel héli SA (french speaking part of switzerland). maybe an inquiry at the aviation accident department that wrote the report will uncover some photos too. If somebody needs a local german/french speaking guy Im here to help
Thoroughbred Aviation is THE most professional, honest, and experienced helicopter shop in the country. You sure picked a great one - I had a damaged chine angle on my JetRanger and they sent a mobile repair team to fix it - they came in UNDER time and UNDER estimate. Fine work! I would fly a bird that came out of that shop any time!!
I love that this is being done just 45 minutes down the road from my house. My boy is going to be crazy excited when he learns that not only were you in town, but that your MD is here being built into a thing of glory. Respect brother.
Don't you just wish all service professionals would be like Joe. I would pay any amount of money to have my stuff fixed by someone with that much knowledge and confidence. America needs more Joe's.
Dude they're out there. Theres tons of people that are experts in a specific field, certain platform, niche market, etc but they're not going to be located a few miles from your house. You might have to travel across the country and it helps to know the right people.
Worked on Porsche for 12 years. My customers trusted me because I always did them right, kept them informed of every step of the way and talked them through exactly what I did and what needs done. Not as expensive as a Helicopter but.. $30,000 to rebuild an engine is nothing to sneeze at. I would call myself a Joe. The service manager was very upset when I gave my notice. Went back to school and finished up my engineering degree.
It’s part of being an A/P. It’s simple, good is good bad is bad. When you sign for peoples life ya get a bit perfectionist about things. Plus owning your own shop will help. Aviation’s a small world and reputation means 90% of it. A great physical/machine side mechanic with a bad rap is still SOL in this business.
Joe’s comfort and ability to answer questions, especially with a camera is amazing. Absolutely seems like the guy to handle this project. Love the knowledge and energy and hopefully we will see him more on the channel with this helicopter’s journey 👍🏼
Man since Ls George joined the channel the comedic element has gone way up. I remember watching fasterproms just for him. When he blew up that motor in his truck I must’ve rewound that clip 100 times. It had me rolling.
A&P UH-60M and CH-53k mechanic here. Love the aviation content. You're genuine excitement when starting the MD put a smile on my face. You should get an A&P so you can perform you're own maintenance. Love this field.
@@gabberpietoran A&P mechanic doesn’t always mean pilot. I know a bunch of A&Ps on ft Rucker who could never pass a flight physical in their wildest dreams.
..from corvette exhaust turbo whistles.. to a tube frame c5 corvette.. to a pro drag car... to now.... HELICOPTERS this is ny far the best channel on youtube
I really like Joe's attitude. He's got that "just do it right" vibe about him. Thats important when you're dealing with aviation. Doesn't hurt that he sounds like he knows what he's doing so well that he could build that thing in his sleep.
You can tell it’s an emotional moment when garrett is firing up the helicopter for the first time. That he’s holding back the tears of excitement/ joy that his helicopter isn’t a paperweight and that his dream is coming true. You got this G
Until just now it never occurred to me that there are people who have not been around long enough to realize that Garrett is Garrett, and not actually Cleetus lol it literally never dawned on me til now 🤷🏻♀️
I lived all my childhood in Venezuela, I'm glad you guys are treating Conzuela like the queen she is! MD500s are the real queen of the sky over there and I used to see them fly all the time, great to see this one is having a second life!
Love hearing Joe say this is going to be one of the nicest they’ve had. Can’t wait to see it. So glad to have Cleet out here inspiring people to get into aviation as well
As a car guys who loves beater cars and also has a degree in Aerospace Engineering, I'm glad to see you recognize that you don't take the same risks with a helicopter that you do with a car. One leaves you on the side of the road when it breaks, the other leaves you screaming as you plummet to your death when it dies.
Air Force Sheetmetal here, I could have those rivets out in less than 30 minutes with new Cherry's installed in less than that. The part I could make in less than an hour and a half. The painting is where the time-consuming part comes in, it would take us about 4 hours to have it painted and then it would need to sit for 8 if it has L.O properties, at the least. If I had access to the bottom and I could shoot standard rivets, it would be even easier, to throw a bucking bar down there and a hand, and tap them out in 30 minutes. So, a 12-hour shift would cover it, I get roughly 50 (factoring in benefits) an hour at my rank, so, that would be roughly 600 dollars for the Air Force to have me make 1 of those interior floor C channels, for reference. The cost goes down the more that are made.
As a aerospace painter myself I could have that part, etched, alodined, primed and painted in 2 but you'd have to wait the 1 and half for the bake cycle to cure it first
The fact that you succesfully brought your viewer base from cars into manned aviation speaks volumes to you as a person, your inherent motivation, determination, and positive attitude. Keep doing good things and spreading the love for both cars and aviation.
He still does car stuff to, he didn't immediately switch to aviation, as long as he keeps doing the car stuff his viewer base won't suddenly stop watching. That's the mistake a lot of content creators make, they think they can immediately switch over to an entirely new topic without your viewer base disappearing.
You are so lucky to have a guy like Joe working on this project. The dude is so calm and straight talking. He oozes confidence in his knowledge and shops skills. I cant wait for the next update. How awesome is this?!!!!!
As someone working in manufacturing on a daily basis, I love the aviation approach of zero cut corners, the documentation and depth of inspection on all components is unreal.
You have to have a completely different mindset in aviation compared to any other industry. Been doing it for 20 years now and I’m taking a break. The stress level will get to you. Especially for a project of this magnitude and crappy records.
@@Nighterlev Amen! One of the helicopters I had trained in had some improper service performed. The problem could have potentially been survivable, but decisions were made, and it took two lives.
@@mikemakuh5319 What are you talking about? You know how much money Garrett makes just off youtube alone without taking into account his merch business, Freedom Factory, or channel sponsors? He doesnt need to scam to make money which is something a scammer would assume.
1 hour up...and 120k views. Brother.. you're killing it. Do you remember when you would have been beside yourself when you had 120k views, great job !!! Keep lighting the UA-cam world on fire !
Well gosh dang. Cleeter got a south american chopper and an australian 2 seater top fuel dragster comin his way. This man truly is living the dream. For all of us.
so this is basically the helicopter version of a $1000 facebook marketplace car deal at 3am while its raining and you are using your phone flashlight to see anything.
I love that.. "i dont like timelines". Totally understandable when your dealing with aviation. I either gets done right or it doesnt get done at all. No rushing this kinda stuff to meet a deadline.
I’m an automotive flat rate tech, and a relative of mine is a helicopter mechanic servicing the helicopters that go out to the rigs in the gulf (before that he was a transmission mechanic, so he’s been in both worlds.). Was talking about labor times with him one day, and he said ‘oh no, there’s no book times in aviation. If I’m working on something, and going through it quick, the boss will come over and tell me to slow down, reread the procedure, whatever, even if it’s something I’ve done 50 times and know the procedure by heart. You’ve got all the time in the world.’
@@cnf6045you definitely have to take your time and be through but at the same time you have to be able to make money and OEMs definitely have flat rate times to follow for a particular job.
Tell us the name of the FBO you work for so we can get the word out,your boss is what’s wrong with general aviation maintenance. Every task has an estimated man hour requirement. The A+P can justify excessive time but “slow down your costing me money” is not a valid reason.
The tail would look so cool on the back of the helmet at the entrance of the fredom factory and a propeller on the top. Merging the racing amd aviation into one.
That motor the way it sits as a core motor (with no logs) is worth around 50k. Hard to put it in a boat and not recoup as much as he can. My guess is he’s already upside on this before he even gets the bill from Joe.
LOVE THIS!!!! Am a fixed wing guy but this is my favorite rotary. Have actually jumped out of one also which was a lot of fun many years ago. TO BE HONEST was not sure if you were just another YT smasher for the likes Cleetus but you are a good guy in my books. I watched your sling heli vid and yeah I could only imagine the skill involved with not only hovering but looking out and doing that with a completely different perspective. BIG learning curve!!! AND this guy who is working on your helicopter seems like the real deal. Knows his stuff and everything in working on the VERY intricate workings of a chopper. REALLY looking forward to when it is all done and ready to go. BLUE SKIES MATE!
I just gotta say, Joe's shop looks freakin spotless while having like a dozen different aircraft in various states of repair/restoration. I wish I could keep my 2 car garage that clean!
A long time ago I regularly delivered catered flight meals to a handful of private hangars, I had gate/door codes and would walk right into these smaller 1-5 vehicle operations and pack the meals into fridges in the hangar or pass them up to a crew member in the plane to pack away. The cleanliness is the thing that always stuck out to me from being inside those bays. Spotless white, polished floors, and the maintenance guys were actively working in the area so it wasn't just some cleanroom showroom thing. Drip a drop, wipe it up, no end of day nonsense. It had a serious impact on how I operated the kitchen, at least the catering side that I handled. We were already extra clean per industry standard, but it became like hospital clean after getting to hand deliver the food into these immaculate industrial facilities. I was always more concerned about potentially taking pilots out of action than providing a nice meal for their wealthy clients, but what's good for the goose..
@CleetusM Alright, I ordered all the documents from the Federal Swiss archive concerning HB-XZG. This will take up to five weeks until I get them (they have to digitalize it first). How do I get in touch with you when I get everything?
I am really interested what you'll get from the government archives. The official Swiss accident investigation report from 1994 actually says "Damage to Aircraft: Destroyed" (= "Schaden am Luftfahrzeug: Zerstört" in German). And then - 2 years after its destruction in Switzerland - the destroyed helicopter magically shows up again in the US, with "only" a hard landing and a blade strike...
@@JoseMartinez-np4uo entirely possible. I haven't seen a name anywhere for Venezuela, just the tail number that's currently on it. Had some weirdness with the tail number in Switzerland before and after the crash. But I'm still looking
SO EXCITED! Dude, nice work on that paint job, too. This thing is already coming together well, I'm surprised to hear it running so soon! Hope to see her in person someday. 🎉 congrats!
In all the years watching cleet I’ve never seen that glint in his eye and that genuine look of real excitement quite like when he fired that thing up 😂
I noticed that too. As a MD500 rated pilot myself, I know why. These machines are THE SH!T. He is gonna love this thing when Joe and his boys are done with it. Lucky b*stard.
I usually not a big fan of UA-camrs posting things they buy to brag about. I truly believe that Cleetus is one of the most deserving people on UA-cam that truly cares about everyone and is always so humble about everything he has and for that reason he will always be one of the favorites. Congratulations Brother you deserve it all and can’t wait to see you fly this thing.
Andrew McFarland here. Eureka , Ca. Been watching for years. I rode off road motorcycles quads etc. 70 yrs old wishing I could play in the jet boats. Just saw the drag stip, good luck with the cleanup. Andy
It is amazing how they can repair helicopters. Seen some that were just in parts, and they are rebuilt. Had a friend have a similar helicopter crash that was described for this one. He is a helicopter pilot in Alaska. Caught the side of the mountain with the tail boom and flipped onto its side. Everyone walked away and the helicopter looked a mess, but it was repaired and is back to flying.
@@liam24_ As a kiwi, I can see why our pilots would be well suited. Rough terrain, unpredictable winds and minimal infrastructure is basically 80% of our country lol
@@helplmchoking I do remote core drilling for a living and have to be flown to the job every day and do a lot of sling work with heli pilots on the daily and I tend to feel much safer on the ground with you guys in the air
Congrats on your new toy. I am a helicopter mechanic by trade. At a hangar I worked at my boss had one just like it. All I can say is never get distracted on start up, He scorched (over temped) two engines. Good luck and be safe.
@@bigduphusaj162 Why do you think it's a " DEATH TRAP ". Are you just scared to fly in one ? Really would appreciate an honest answer because I HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THESE THINGS, THANKS.
I enjoyed the hell out of that video. Cleetus has 1. Desire to have serious fun. 2. Enough money to buy serious toys to have fun. 3. Just enough unpredictability to be interesting. Thanks Cleetus!
cleetus is absolutely swinging for the fences in 24 with the content. ive been watching since the bald eagle machine pull on the free way when it was uploaded. i cant believe how far this mans come and i couldnt be more proud
I looked over the final report for the accident from the Swiss authorities. What stood out to me that wasn't mentioned is one of the possible contributions to the crash was that theflight handbook didn't contain performance charts for hovering outside of ground effect for the fitted equipment. At the time of the crash, the helicopter was fitted with a four bladed tail rotor (as seen on the picture with the Swiss tail number). After the crash the handbook was revised and the performance charts were added.
Yeah, but the final report only shows some little facts, I ordered the complete file from the Federal Archive. It will be very interesting to see what more there is. I had an accident with a plane in Switzerland myself, so I know how much they don't publish... (see final report for HB-1620 in 2014)
Yeah, I have flown a 500E with two blade tail rotor and with four blade. The four blade is quieter, turning half the RPM. The two blade gives better tail rotor authority. I did not like the four blade.
I love how Cletus takes us through real world life experiences and he’s not just sizing up everyone like heavydsparks does. Only 10k more subs and you finally pass that reality tv star
God bless you all, I did wasted my time, I always wanted it to be a pilot but the bad socialization with friends and party a lot messed up my life but I did in fact finished 21 years in the military, honorably, thanks for your service, time consuming time in influence people about aviation that I like the most, thanks. Respectfully; Andy Disable Vet Texas
I was unsure about a colorful paint job, since I love the black.. but that looks sick. Great design, can't wait to see this baby flying. She's going to be a beaut.
Hey cleetus you are the new owner of a 2 seater Top fuel dragster all the way from down under!!!!! GUP is an absolute legend have fun cleet!!! Powercruise promotion
28:36 - The timeless face of a man when his engine starts for the first time. Traceable back to Cavemen times with the smiles and back-slapping when man first put wheels on his ox-cart😂
Hello there, found the report... the crash was on September 11th 1994 the reason you stated was correct, it rolled over and came to rest on the left side, the report states: Aircraft "destroyed". it seems that it was fitted with a 4 blade tail rotor for noise reduction (?) (no pilot so I don't know why they stated that specific in the report). No technical defect (so it had fuel) was found. Greetings from the middle of good ol' western Germany
I believe that was the initial report and the report stating no fuel was from the guy who repaired it, could be that they didnt figure out it haf run out of fuel until they were repairing it, since the repair report would have come after the initial crash report, not saying you're wrong but it would make sense that the later report would have better information on the cause.
Wow ole Cleet getting it done!!! Attaboy!! Living the dream !! Man this guy can do anything it seems like,, gets his first plane (Cub) gets his pilot license and now on to Choppers!!- NOT easy to do folks!! Coolest guy I’ve never met
I could listen to Joe talk about helicopters all day. I'm so stoked you bought a beat one instead of something brand new. Carbon cub def needs a matching wrap.
Thanks Cleet, for putting in the man hours away from your family to make us videos. So US average working folk can come home, relax and watch some FREAKING awesome! content after a long hard day. Hell yea brother U rock bud
Big Time Congrats Cleet and crew, it was awesome seeing those ear to ear smiles after all the entertainment you've given us. To Joe and crew thank you all for helping our boy Cleeter/Garret. Take care and God Bless...
From a huge debt to a racetrack owner/Helicopter and airplane pilot and much more! He's gotten bucked off but got back on ! Now he's the Florida Superman!!😁😸
Same here. I got intrigued by the aviation side of Cleetus, full scale and RC. Every time I see one of his videos pop up now, even for cars and trucks and toys, I just intend to skim it but wind up fully captured end to end. Great stuff!
Aviation in general is a super fun rabbit hole to go down. I’m not as heavy into the military side, but absolutely love the commercial and private sectors. If you want to start dipping your toes into planes as well, Mentour has two really good channels and Aviation 101 is a super cool channel that’s just so passionate about flying and telling good stories.
THE amount of knowledge Joe has on helicopters is extremely impressive hes definitely the guy to go to for helicopter repair and rehab im in Aw of his wealth of knowledge
Helicopters only have one engine. I trust a guy with a fix for discover, assemble, test, check filters, change fluids... Paint. But what gets me is tear back down inspect and reassemble again. To have the confidence to say that upfront. This guy is not messing around.
Hey Cleet, when you were shoving turbo whistles in the C7 exhaust, did you ever imagine you would own a helicopter like this? When I saw the rendering of the paint job I just got so damn fired up, feeling proud of you and the boys and all you have accomplished together. Truly inspirational.
Coming from a certified turbine engine technician, I'm sure that old engine is still in pretty decent shape considering it sat for so long. All bearings will need to be replaced, maybe a few minor repairs, but really shouldn't need much work to get her airworthy again. LP compressor being locked up like that is almost guaranteed to just be corrosion build up on the stators, which should be a pretty easy fix! Provided they never hot started it and roasted the hot section that is 🤣
@@beckyumphrey2626 Technically just because it wasn't preserved with 1010, doesn't mean the bearings would have to be replaced as 1010 only goes into the fuel system. But, because it wasn't preserved with 1010 tells me they didn't do the other necessary tasks to preserve the rest of the engine, which would mean that oil system didn't get the proper care either
@@otm646 not necessarily due to time, but rather due to the lack of maintenance. Those bearings, having sat in the same exact position for 8+ years will have flat spots on the balls/rollers, as well as corrosion build up because they didn't retain their oily film due to the lack of use. Only a select few bearings are either time or cycle limited, but not all main shaft bearings are.
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Hell yeah brother
Early!! Lol
them chipotle queso chicken boxes are fire, also try ANY of the factors in the oven and they taste 1000x better
How are you feeling about getting that 2 seater dragster from your Aussie friends cleeter?
Mmmmmmm yum
Im swiss so I did aome research: There are multiple newspaper reports, but without pictures. I sent a request to the local police department but their archive doesnt have anything that far back. They even asked (now retired) officers that worked the case but no pictures there eigther. if somebody wants to dig further: the helicopter was owned by (now out of business) Neuchatel héli SA (french speaking part of switzerland). maybe an inquiry at the aviation accident department that wrote the report will uncover some photos too. If somebody needs a local german/french speaking guy Im here to help
Very cool for trying so much! Very kind of you! 👍
Thoroughbred Aviation is THE most professional, honest, and experienced helicopter shop in the country. You sure picked a great one - I had a damaged chine angle on my JetRanger and they sent a mobile repair team to fix it - they came in UNDER time and UNDER estimate. Fine work! I would fly a bird that came out of that shop any time!!
So is Arrow aviation. That old engine is going to be like brand new.
Yeah. That chopper is done. I wouldn't fly in it ever.
@@frankdesbaux Perfect. You never will get on it anyway.
This guy and heavy d are going to find out aviation and helicopters are different. Hope he understands SAFETY
@@tedgerstenslager2949 As a qualified helicopter pilot. I wouldn't fly it.
"I aint never heard of the acorn trick"
"You aint never met squirrel " 😂😂😂
That one had me rolling 😂
😂
So it was Squirrel that caused that cop to shoot up his own car in Florida last month. Dammit, Squirrel.
Runs behind and picks up the nuts…free with every Ford
@@ronjones-6977 hahahahaha George could be a comedian I bet if he wanted
I love that this is being done just 45 minutes down the road from my house. My boy is going to be crazy excited when he learns that not only were you in town, but that your MD is here being built into a thing of glory. Respect brother.
Don't you just wish all service professionals would be like Joe. I would pay any amount of money to have my stuff fixed by someone with that much knowledge and confidence. America needs more Joe's.
Dude they're out there. Theres tons of people that are experts in a specific field, certain platform, niche market, etc but they're not going to be located a few miles from your house. You might have to travel across the country and it helps to know the right people.
As a Joe I couldn't agree more 😂
They are out there, but they are always busy
Worked on Porsche for 12 years.
My customers trusted me because I always did them right, kept them informed of every step of the way and talked them through exactly what I did and what needs done.
Not as expensive as a Helicopter but.. $30,000 to rebuild an engine is nothing to sneeze at.
I would call myself a Joe. The service manager was very upset when I gave my notice. Went back to school and finished up my engineering degree.
It’s part of being an A/P. It’s simple, good is good bad is bad. When you sign for peoples life ya get a bit perfectionist about things. Plus owning your own shop will help. Aviation’s a small world and reputation means 90% of it. A great physical/machine side mechanic with a bad rap is still SOL in this business.
Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine a scratch and dent abandoned South American helicopter would have many hidden problems.
I’m as shocked as you are
😂@@CleetusM
Scary thing is that it can happen to any of us when we are searching for new helicopters. Scary stuff indeed
@@CleetusMreally feel like Car Vertical missed a sponsorship deal
What? No bullet holes?!
Joe’s comfort and ability to answer questions, especially with a camera is amazing. Absolutely seems like the guy to handle this project. Love the knowledge and energy and hopefully we will see him more on the channel with this helicopter’s journey 👍🏼
💯
Incredible guy. Would be glad to see him talk for hours.
Man since Ls George joined the channel the comedic element has gone way up. I remember watching fasterproms just for him. When he blew up that motor in his truck I must’ve rewound that clip 100 times. It had me rolling.
A&P UH-60M and CH-53k mechanic here. Love the aviation content. You're genuine excitement when starting the MD put a smile on my face. You should get an A&P so you can perform you're own maintenance. Love this field.
Yeah man I'm and A&P on Uh-60 and Airbus AS-350/H-125. Totally worth it to save a little coin.
A pilot would not misspell your. I do not believe you are an aircraft mechanic who cannot spell your or use the correct version of it. Thats bs
Either way, being a part time mech on only your own aircraft sounds like a bad idea to me.
@@gabberpietoran A&P mechanic doesn’t always mean pilot. I know a bunch of A&Ps on ft Rucker who could never pass a flight physical in their wildest dreams.
He does , that’s why he’s at an MRO facility that can handle it .
I’m an S guy , you crash it or let it corrode, you sign my paycheck
@14:46 You should attach the tail boom to the blue freedom helmet, and turn the Helmet into a freedom helicopter!! :D
now thats creative. hope he sees your comment.
Hell yeah brother
Like the Peter copter from family guy
This needs to happen!!!
Yess
..from corvette exhaust turbo whistles.. to a tube frame c5 corvette.. to a pro drag car... to now.... HELICOPTERS this is ny far the best channel on youtube
Dude the race boats what blew me away! He is wicked af
Isn't it amazing how much some people make from digital panhandling!?
I know Howard Hughes would appreciate what your doing with that aircraft. He’s definitely smiling wherever he is.
I really like Joe's attitude. He's got that "just do it right" vibe about him. Thats important when you're dealing with aviation. Doesn't hurt that he sounds like he knows what he's doing so well that he could build that thing in his sleep.
It is really really easy to have that attitude when you're in an industry in which all your customers have money falling out of their asses. Moron
You would hope someone who is as certified and professional as he is would be a “do it right” type of person lmao
@@brandon_doe right ? Lmfao like what else would you expect 😂
Ex Marine Aviation…you better bet he’s about getting it right 👍
Easy to be when it’s not your money as well.
Maybe you should add a Swiss Flag on the tail under the Venezuelan one for its original heritage to complete the list of where shes been.
Swiss flag is a purdy flag, but they crashed it.
Came hear to says the same thing. It would be like a salute to all the work she's done over the years
Fully.get it , but she possibly had a life earlier than that too , common on aircraft
I don’t know if they can do that, considering it might interfere with its registration.
Nah the Venezuela 🇻🇪 - jungle life has a better feel. Not that swiss cheese life man. Boringggg
You can tell it’s an emotional moment when garrett is firing up the helicopter for the first time. That he’s holding back the tears of excitement/ joy that his helicopter isn’t a paperweight and that his dream is coming true. You got this G
Who’s Garrett ?
@@utahballoonflights2716 that is Cletus’s real first name
Until just now it never occurred to me that there are people who have not been around long enough to realize that Garrett is Garrett, and not actually Cleetus lol it literally never dawned on me til now 🤷🏻♀️
@@txpacketI’ve been here since his USF Law school/ exhaust whistle days
I would cry my eyes out and not care
I lived all my childhood in Venezuela, I'm glad you guys are treating Conzuela like the queen she is! MD500s are the real queen of the sky over there and I used to see them fly all the time, great to see this one is having a second life!
Its because of the open borders! lol
Everybody needs a "Joe" when taking on something of this scale. Great and knowledgeable dude.
You’re right!
Seems like an awesome dude!
The guys at thoroughbred are amazing, they have serviced my bell 206 a few times and they do an awesome job 😊
Can you imagine the first phone call Joe got about this project? "I got some guy with a UA-cam thing that want to build an MD 500??" lol
I know what you mean, but also, you literally need someone like Joe. By law.
@@pseudocoder78Absolutely agree with that, way too many things that could go wrong.
Love hearing Joe say this is going to be one of the nicest they’ve had. Can’t wait to see it. So glad to have Cleet out here inspiring people to get into aviation as well
Aviation is amazing. Sadly helicopter ratings are 2x what aircraft certs and ratings cost.
Him and Jimmy's World could save alot of Classic Air frames.
"Get out, so we can get it apart" - Joe
That's the kind of guy you want to work with, period.
As a car guys who loves beater cars and also has a degree in Aerospace Engineering, I'm glad to see you recognize that you don't take the same risks with a helicopter that you do with a car. One leaves you on the side of the road when it breaks, the other leaves you screaming as you plummet to your death when it dies.
Excellent Description of risk difference
Air Force Sheetmetal here, I could have those rivets out in less than 30 minutes with new Cherry's installed in less than that. The part I could make in less than an hour and a half. The painting is where the time-consuming part comes in, it would take us about 4 hours to have it painted and then it would need to sit for 8 if it has L.O properties, at the least. If I had access to the bottom and I could shoot standard rivets, it would be even easier, to throw a bucking bar down there and a hand, and tap them out in 30 minutes. So, a 12-hour shift would cover it, I get roughly 50 (factoring in benefits) an hour at my rank, so, that would be roughly 600 dollars for the Air Force to have me make 1 of those interior floor C channels, for reference. The cost goes down the more that are made.
Yeah Thoroughbred is gonna get $2500 easy
like this post so cleeter can see this
Sounds like you have some job security when you get out of service
As a aerospace painter myself I could have that part, etched, alodined, primed and painted in 2 but you'd have to wait the 1 and half for the bake cycle to cure it first
Wow u make 50 a hr in the military that's awesome , crazy lol
The fact that you succesfully brought your viewer base from cars into manned aviation speaks volumes to you as a person, your inherent motivation, determination, and positive attitude. Keep doing good things and spreading the love for both cars and aviation.
I think a lot of car guys would also be aviation guys if they had enough money
He still does car stuff to, he didn't immediately switch to aviation, as long as he keeps doing the car stuff his viewer base won't suddenly stop watching.
That's the mistake a lot of content creators make, they think they can immediately switch over to an entirely new topic without your viewer base disappearing.
Passion is what keeps an audience watching.
@@halcyon_studiocould not sit in a helicopter solo let alone fly it solo
@@avoidoneu4061 you must be a pretty miserable person to try and create conflict on this channel, brother
You are so lucky to have a guy like Joe working on this project. The dude is so calm and straight talking. He oozes confidence in his knowledge and shops skills. I cant wait for the next update. How awesome is this?!!!!!
Cleetus is the only youtuber that actually tries and shows the products from sponsors, this man can do anything better than everyone !
Your friend Joe. He is exactly who you need on something like this. Very keen, very good, very friendly, but above everything, safety, safety, safety!
As someone working in manufacturing on a daily basis, I love the aviation approach of zero cut corners, the documentation and depth of inspection on all components is unreal.
Well apart from Boeing that is!! 😁😂
@@stugallop4561i was about to say that...
@@stugallop4561this is the comment I hoped would be here
@@stugallop4561ooooooooo lol.
You have to have a completely different mindset in aviation compared to any other industry. Been doing it for 20 years now and I’m taking a break. The stress level will get to you. Especially for a project of this magnitude and crappy records.
Anyone who works at a FBO and a guy like Cleet shows up and wants it done right with cost being secondary over safety is the best customer.
Well with helicopters like this you can't really skip on safety, moment you do you're dead.
@@Nighterlev Amen! One of the helicopters I had trained in had some improper service performed. The problem could have potentially been survivable, but decisions were made, and it took two lives.
Like Cleetus said his family and friends are going to be in this bird, not the time to cut corners!
Wonder how or who he is scamming to pay for it all?
@@mikemakuh5319 What are you talking about? You know how much money Garrett makes just off youtube alone without taking into account his merch business, Freedom Factory, or channel sponsors? He doesnt need to scam to make money which is something a scammer would assume.
That's the guy I want working on my helicopter...the guy knows his stuff. Love old aircraft mechanics they are a different breed.
What a guy was so excited we get it 4 minutes early!
Cleat just couldn’t help be be premature today
Couldn’t help myself
@@CleetusM Got it early today!
Cleetus, you're getting a TF Dragster.
Wife still gets excited too. Kinda surprising. Oh the video
1 hour up...and 120k views. Brother.. you're killing it. Do you remember when you would have been beside yourself when you had 120k views, great job !!! Keep lighting the UA-cam world on fire !
Well gosh dang. Cleeter got a south american chopper and an australian 2 seater top fuel dragster comin his way. This man truly is living the dream. For all of us.
Wait when did he buy a top fuel??
@@Domthemechanic it was gifted from down under....video is on UA-cam somewhere. Definitely gonna be sick seeing that thing at Cleetus HQ!
I just seen that yesterday. Wonder when he will mention the TFD.
so this is basically the helicopter version of a $1000 facebook marketplace car deal at 3am while its raining and you are using your phone flashlight to see anything.
correct, can you link me to the latest video on this repair?
I love that.. "i dont like timelines". Totally understandable when your dealing with aviation. I either gets done right or it doesnt get done at all. No rushing this kinda stuff to meet a deadline.
I’m an automotive flat rate tech, and a relative of mine is a helicopter mechanic servicing the helicopters that go out to the rigs in the gulf (before that he was a transmission mechanic, so he’s been in both worlds.). Was talking about labor times with him one day, and he said ‘oh no, there’s no book times in aviation. If I’m working on something, and going through it quick, the boss will come over and tell me to slow down, reread the procedure, whatever, even if it’s something I’ve done 50 times and know the procedure by heart. You’ve got all the time in the world.’
@@cnf6045 dont tell boeing XD
@@cnf6045you definitely have to take your time and be through but at the same time you have to be able to make money and OEMs definitely have flat rate times to follow for a particular job.
Tell us the name of the FBO you work for so we can get the word out,your boss is what’s wrong with general aviation maintenance. Every task has an estimated man hour requirement. The A+P can justify excessive time but “slow down your costing me money” is not a valid reason.
The tail would look so cool on the back of the helmet at the entrance of the fredom factory and a propeller on the top. Merging the racing amd aviation into one.
Great idea.
I concer
I concur too😂🎉🎉
Sick idea
Upvote this so cleeter see's it..
You really should put the old engine in your jet boat. That would be some good content right there.
I want to see a rotary in the jet boat...
Braaaap braaap
@AH-lw2bj get a rob Dahm colab going asap lmao would be unreal
Tesla turbine powered
That motor the way it sits as a core motor (with no logs) is worth around 50k. Hard to put it in a boat and not recoup as much as he can. My guess is he’s already upside on this before he even gets the bill from Joe.
LOVE THIS!!!! Am a fixed wing guy but this is my favorite rotary. Have actually jumped out of one also which was a lot of fun many years ago. TO BE HONEST was not sure if you were just another YT smasher for the likes Cleetus but you are a good guy in my books. I watched your sling heli vid and yeah I could only imagine the skill involved with not only hovering but looking out and doing that with a completely different perspective. BIG learning curve!!! AND this guy who is working on your helicopter seems like the real deal. Knows his stuff and everything in working on the VERY intricate workings of a chopper. REALLY looking forward to when it is all done and ready to go. BLUE SKIES MATE!
I just gotta say, Joe's shop looks freakin spotless while having like a dozen different aircraft in various states of repair/restoration. I wish I could keep my 2 car garage that clean!
That's takes good discipline and intention! You've got to keep on top of it, else the monster of mess takes over and consumes your garage or hangar!
A long time ago I regularly delivered catered flight meals to a handful of private hangars, I had gate/door codes and would walk right into these smaller 1-5 vehicle operations and pack the meals into fridges in the hangar or pass them up to a crew member in the plane to pack away.
The cleanliness is the thing that always stuck out to me from being inside those bays. Spotless white, polished floors, and the maintenance guys were actively working in the area so it wasn't just some cleanroom showroom thing. Drip a drop, wipe it up, no end of day nonsense.
It had a serious impact on how I operated the kitchen, at least the catering side that I handled. We were already extra clean per industry standard, but it became like hospital clean after getting to hand deliver the food into these immaculate industrial facilities. I was always more concerned about potentially taking pilots out of action than providing a nice meal for their wealthy clients, but what's good for the goose..
Your man Joe is the REAL DEAL!! Glad that the bird is in good hands and will no doubt turn out fantastic!
I live in Switzerland, I'm on it💪🏻
Forgot to say, I have a PPL myself
Gute Jagd, mein Bruder.
@CleetusM Alright, I ordered all the documents from the Federal Swiss archive concerning HB-XZG. This will take up to five weeks until I get them (they have to digitalize it first).
How do I get in touch with you when I get everything?
I am really interested what you'll get from the government archives. The official Swiss accident investigation report from 1994 actually says "Damage to Aircraft: Destroyed" (= "Schaden am Luftfahrzeug: Zerstört" in German). And then - 2 years after its destruction in Switzerland - the destroyed helicopter magically shows up again in the US, with "only" a hard landing and a blade strike...
Rutger Hauer did a great job fixing your MD500
One of the only UA-cam channels I have notifications on for and watch religiously, thank you brother 💪♿️
I say mount the tailboom sticking out the wall In the shop would look really cool Just an idea instead of a big paperweight!!😊
Also in order its apparently been in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Switzerland, Texas, Venezuela and then back to Florida. Shes lived a life for sure.
Petroleum corporate 🐦
I think that I know the owner year un Venezuela, i'm Venezuelan currently living i'm my country
@@JoseMartinez-np4uo entirely possible. I haven't seen a name anywhere for Venezuela, just the tail number that's currently on it. Had some weirdness with the tail number in Switzerland before and after the crash. But I'm still looking
SO EXCITED! Dude, nice work on that paint job, too. This thing is already coming together well, I'm surprised to hear it running so soon! Hope to see her in person someday. 🎉 congrats!
Thanks for showing the serious/safety side of all this. One of the few youtubers to show how to do aviation right.
In all the years watching cleet I’ve never seen that glint in his eye and that genuine look of real excitement quite like when he fired that thing up 😂
I noticed that too. As a MD500 rated pilot myself, I know why. These machines are THE SH!T. He is gonna love this thing when Joe and his boys are done with it. Lucky b*stard.
Im betting this one wont fire up ever due to cost constraints.
Super fruity ahh comment 👀
I usually not a big fan of UA-camrs posting things they buy to brag about. I truly believe that Cleetus is one of the most deserving people on UA-cam that truly cares about everyone and is always so humble about everything he has and for that reason he will always be one of the favorites. Congratulations Brother you deserve it all and can’t wait to see you fly this thing.
Aviation is top of the line. Seems like all of you guys are veterans as well. Thank you
Anyone else absolutely impressed by Cleet's knowledge and understanding of helicopters? Be safe in the sky brother.!
No lul he owns and operates helicopters having knowledge abt them is a requirement. Your comment is the equivalent of a participation trophy
Glad to see Consuela in good hands! She'll be in the sky before we know it! And absolutely love the paint!
Can't wait for the two seater Australian top fuel dragster to come to the Freedom Factory!
Cleet and squirel doing 5's 😂
I was about to comment that
@@Tricome187more like 4s
For real though!
Been waiting for 5s on the channel!!
Andrew McFarland here. Eureka , Ca. Been watching for years. I rode off road motorcycles quads etc. 70 yrs old wishing I could play in the jet boats. Just saw the drag stip, good luck with the cleanup.
Andy
"Lightly crashed" means a whole different thing when you're buying a second hand helicopter vs a pickup truck.
It is amazing how they can repair helicopters. Seen some that were just in parts, and they are rebuilt. Had a friend have a similar helicopter crash that was described for this one. He is a helicopter pilot in Alaska. Caught the side of the mountain with the tail boom and flipped onto its side. Everyone walked away and the helicopter looked a mess, but it was repaired and is back to flying.
L O L this was a great response 10/10@@TheInfidel_SlavaUA
@@jiminauburn5073I live in Alaska it’s very common for pilots to crash here we have very different terrain. Kiwi pilots do well here
@@liam24_ As a kiwi, I can see why our pilots would be well suited. Rough terrain, unpredictable winds and minimal infrastructure is basically 80% of our country lol
@@helplmchoking I do remote core drilling for a living and have to be flown to the job every day and do a lot of sling work with heli pilots on the daily and I tend to feel much safer on the ground with you guys in the air
Congrats on your new toy. I am a helicopter mechanic by trade. At a hangar I worked at my boss had one just like it. All I can say is never get distracted on start up, He scorched (over temped) two engines. Good luck and be safe.
@@bigduphusaj162
UK military? 😂😂😂
@@bigduphusaj162 Why do you think it's a " DEATH TRAP ".
Are you just scared to fly in one ?
Really would appreciate an honest answer because I HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THESE THINGS, THANKS.
I enjoyed the hell out of that video.
Cleetus has 1. Desire to have serious fun. 2. Enough money to buy serious toys to have fun. 3. Just enough unpredictability to be interesting.
Thanks Cleetus!
And young enough to enjoy it for a long time in the future.
I remember watching Cleetus videos a year or two ago and him joking about getting an airplane crazy to see the progression congrats guys!
George is a whole vibe the excitement he has and support he shows for you in incredible, you have an amazing team around you
cleetus is absolutely swinging for the fences in 24 with the content. ive been watching since the bald eagle machine pull on the free way when it was uploaded. i cant believe how far this mans come and i couldnt be more proud
I looked over the final report for the accident from the Swiss authorities. What stood out to me that wasn't mentioned is one of the possible contributions to the crash was that theflight handbook didn't contain performance charts for hovering outside of ground effect for the fitted equipment. At the time of the crash, the helicopter was fitted with a four bladed tail rotor (as seen on the picture with the Swiss tail number). After the crash the handbook was revised and the performance charts were added.
Hell yeah brother
Yeah, but the final report only shows some little facts, I ordered the complete file from the Federal Archive. It will be very interesting to see what more there is.
I had an accident with a plane in Switzerland myself, so I know how much they don't publish... (see final report for HB-1620 in 2014)
Yeah, I have flown a 500E with two blade tail rotor and with four blade. The four blade is quieter, turning half the RPM. The two blade gives better tail rotor authority. I did not like the four blade.
Just gotta love the enthusiasm. It’s great to see people doing what they love.
My dad use to fly these for the PD and every time I hear the start up it takes me right back to flying with him. Such an amazing machine.
I love how Cletus takes us through real world life experiences and he’s not just sizing up everyone like heavydsparks does. Only 10k more subs and you finally pass that reality tv star
I think they are friends but yeah I hate that guy too
“I was ready for it, but the punch still hurt” story of my life bud. ❤
God bless you all, I did wasted my time, I always wanted it to be a pilot but the bad socialization with friends and party a lot messed up my life but I did in fact finished 21 years in the military, honorably, thanks for your service, time consuming time in influence people about aviation that I like the most, thanks.
Respectfully;
Andy
Disable Vet
Texas
I know I can’t be the only one to say this but the world loves you guys! Please never stop !!!!
Amen!
🤡@@builtsubarusti7408
I’m a new fan and if you keep this up? I’m permanent!
No they don't!
Paint the tailboom safety orange and mount it with a wind sock for your home LZ
Best idea yet.
JustinCider, Love that tag! 😂
W idea
Best idea for it ever!
I was unsure about a colorful paint job, since I love the black.. but that looks sick. Great design, can't wait to see this baby flying. She's going to be a beaut.
Love love Joe.. The guy is dripping with knowledge and is the perfect guy on a project as this. He is confidence inspiring! Great job!
Hey cleetus you are the new owner of a 2 seater Top fuel dragster all the way from down under!!!!! GUP is an absolute legend have fun cleet!!!
Powercruise promotion
Your helicopter guy is amazing, he really knows his stuff.
Car noises to building a custom MD, cleeters success has been amazing to watch! Congrats brother!!
You''re an absolute madlad for actually doing this. Can't wait to see this thing in the air!
28:36 - The timeless face of a man when his engine starts for the first time. Traceable back to Cavemen times with the smiles and back-slapping when man first put wheels on his ox-cart😂
Hello there, found the report... the crash was on September 11th 1994 the reason you stated was correct, it rolled over and came to rest on the left side, the report states: Aircraft "destroyed". it seems that it was fitted with a 4 blade tail rotor for noise reduction (?) (no pilot so I don't know why they stated that specific in the report). No technical defect (so it had fuel) was found.
Greetings from the middle of good ol' western Germany
I believe that was the initial report and the report stating no fuel was from the guy who repaired it, could be that they didnt figure out it haf run out of fuel until they were repairing it, since the repair report would have come after the initial crash report, not saying you're wrong but it would make sense that the later report would have better information on the cause.
@@Greg1096 Like mentioned in comment above, there were 2 reports: a) fuel starvation case in 1992 and b) that mountainside crash in 1994
@pffyespff the way i understood it the repair report was for the mountain crash
McFarland Rickshaw and Copter investments.....Bidens can get ya a new 1 from china for some mail in votes
Correct me if I'm wrong all you MD guys, but didn't the 4-bladed TR have slightly *less* authority than the two-bladed?
Glad to see you're doing this the right way. It's no fun writing huge repair checks, but better than having a failure at 1500 feet.
Wow ole Cleet getting it done!!! Attaboy!! Living the dream !! Man this guy can do anything it seems like,, gets his first plane (Cub) gets his pilot license and now on to Choppers!!- NOT easy to do folks!! Coolest guy I’ve never met
I could listen to Joe talk about helicopters all day. I'm so stoked you bought a beat one instead of something brand new. Carbon cub def needs a matching wrap.
Already has something similar with the grayscale flag.
I know but how dope would it be to open the hanger and have them match perfectly??
Thanks Cleet, for putting in the man hours away from your family to make us videos. So US average working folk can come home, relax and watch some FREAKING awesome! content after a long hard day. Hell yea brother U rock bud
Big Time Congrats Cleet and crew, it was awesome seeing those ear to ear smiles after all the entertainment you've given us.
To Joe and crew thank you all for helping our boy Cleeter/Garret.
Take care and God Bless...
Joe seems like a great guy and super knowledgeable. super interesting.
Can’t wait to see the final delivery and I’ll be visiting Joe in near future for a project of my own. Love from Down Under Sydney, Australia
Wait June 15- June 30 means that's in time for a 4th of July reveal at a freedom factory fireworks event!!!! 😮
Freedom one being ready on July 4th would be great! 🤞
The old paint job from 94 was so awsome on that thing, the nostalgia is real.
I can tell by how Joe talks he's 1,000% pro at what he does. Very professional!!
From a huge debt to a racetrack owner/Helicopter and airplane pilot and much more!
He's gotten bucked off but got back on ! Now he's the Florida Superman!!😁😸
tf you mean huge debt
He bought a whole racetrack, he owed a lot of money on it at the beginning @@Woozy91
As a Air Force c130 mechanic, I am loving all of this aviation content! Makes me want to spin wrenches on this thing with squirrel..
J Models?
@@beckyumphrey2626 yes, aero repair!
@@beckyumphrey2626 yes, aero repair!
@@beckyumphrey2626yes, aero repair tech!
I wouldn't let ls George touch the whirly bird......have you seen his work on the ramp truck? And don't let him near that blower belt.😂
Cleet, your face while starting the MD was priceless man. So proud of what you accomplished 🙌 👏 🎉
That's awesome guys. I'm both jealous of the bird and nervous about the zeros on the cost sheet for you, but this thing is awesome.
From a guy working around airplanes, just a few minutes in and I already like how Joe works. Consuela's in good hands.
That MD 500 is the cat's meow. She's about the coolest thing flying. You are blessed to be able to own and fly that ultra cool machine.
I never thought I'd be so interested in learning about helicopters, yet here I am super intrigued.
Same here. I got intrigued by the aviation side of Cleetus, full scale and RC. Every time I see one of his videos pop up now, even for cars and trucks and toys, I just intend to skim it but wind up fully captured end to end. Great stuff!
Aviation in general is a super fun rabbit hole to go down. I’m not as heavy into the military side, but absolutely love the commercial and private sectors. If you want to start dipping your toes into planes as well, Mentour has two really good channels and Aviation 101 is a super cool channel that’s just so passionate about flying and telling good stories.
THE amount of knowledge Joe has on helicopters is extremely impressive hes definitely the guy to go to for helicopter repair and rehab im in Aw of his wealth of knowledge
Sounds really clean and smooth, I think you got the right guys on the job brother.
You have come a long way from whistle tips! 😂 You deserve it all for all the hard work you put in!
Underrated comment right here
Been here since the start. Crazy to see how far you’ve come. HELL YA BROTHER!
Helicopters only have one engine. I trust a guy with a fix for discover, assemble, test, check filters, change fluids... Paint. But what gets me is tear back down inspect and reassemble again. To have the confidence to say that upfront. This guy is not messing around.
Hey Cleet, when you were shoving turbo whistles in the C7 exhaust, did you ever imagine you would own a helicopter like this?
When I saw the rendering of the paint job I just got so damn fired up, feeling proud of you and the boys and all you have accomplished together. Truly inspirational.
Coming from a certified turbine engine technician, I'm sure that old engine is still in pretty decent shape considering it sat for so long. All bearings will need to be replaced, maybe a few minor repairs, but really shouldn't need much work to get her airworthy again. LP compressor being locked up like that is almost guaranteed to just be corrosion build up on the stators, which should be a pretty easy fix! Provided they never hot started it and roasted the hot section that is 🤣
True. It was never preserved correctly with pickling 10/10 oil.
These bearings need to be replaced on time alone because they were sitting?
@@otm646why do you think that. Let R-R make the assessment, note it’s a brilliant engine as gas turbines go
@@beckyumphrey2626 Technically just because it wasn't preserved with 1010, doesn't mean the bearings would have to be replaced as 1010 only goes into the fuel system. But, because it wasn't preserved with 1010 tells me they didn't do the other necessary tasks to preserve the rest of the engine, which would mean that oil system didn't get the proper care either
@@otm646 not necessarily due to time, but rather due to the lack of maintenance. Those bearings, having sat in the same exact position for 8+ years will have flat spots on the balls/rollers, as well as corrosion build up because they didn't retain their oily film due to the lack of use. Only a select few bearings are either time or cycle limited, but not all main shaft bearings are.
Those two red helicopters in the background are absolutely gorgeous