gigi
Veteran
Location: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
| Words of wisdom...I am writing this to Chris Bergen, Larry Bergen, Malorie, and anyone who holds Bergens (the machines, not the people) close to their heart. By the way, I understand I am also writing to very nice chaps, who are running a business, and it's not an easy thing to do.
This is not a PM because I do want it to be publicly known. Not to harm, not to bother, not to annoy, but to help motivate The Bergens.
My name is Claude Martin. I spent a bunch of money on a Bergen helicopter because I wanted a flagship machine. I bought a used Bergen Intrepid sight unseen, based solely on the reviews I had read on RR and because I found what I thought was a good deal since it came with many parts, and I live overseas. I figured that one can change or upgrade any parts on a helicopter, and it would be a project. Btw, I did not buy a basket case, but a flying heli.
I have had horrendous luck with MY machine. I have had to replace bearings (some were worn out, which is OK on a used machine, and the manufacturer cannot be held responsible; some flew off before I added a collar to keep them on the machine. I did not use red Loctite and had several different bolts back off, I had the motor chew up the main gear twice (which is better than a lot of folks, from what I gather), I had servos break gears, I even had coil problems with the motor, which is not Bergen's fault.
I have replaced with new every single part which was questionable. The Bergens have been nothing but helpful and kind with all the questions and requests I have had since I bought the machine. I don't think anyone has ever said the SERVICE wasn't top-shelf, first-rate, best in class, and that's the truth.
My woes could be blamed on my inexperience. In my defense, I'll say that I am a mechanical engineer, and I have no desire to inflict mechanical cruelty upon my (expensive!) toys. I do think the limits of operation are too narrow, as a result of what I call a lack of design robustness. Having said that, I'll stay confined within those limits to avoid problems.
The word POS is indeed not appropriate for a Bergen Intrepid. I'd like to rephrase that and say that MY Bergen has been a PITA. I wish I had never bought it because instead of joy and pleasure it has bought me pain and grief. It has also had an impact on my enjoyment of the hobby to the extent that I am going back motorcycling as a primary past-time. And to explain that statement, it's not so much that I am sick of helis, it's more like I miss more robust products.
It's true that over time, as I have gotten to "know" my machine (more intimately than I ever wanted to...) I have discovered what are to ME flaws which are unacceptable. They may be endearing traits to others, but to me, they just make working on the machine a chore. But as Chris says, every machine has its flaws, and it's possible to have out-of-spec parts from any manufacturer.
There is a major complication in changing a design, and I believe that is a problem for the Bergens. However, I am not the only one on this planet who seems to think there is a problem with the product. I would suggest that for once, instead of dismissing them as complaints from people who should take up basket-weaving instead, that the Bergens take a hard look at this facet of reality which is presented to them.
As to my statement about wishing I had bought a Predator Carbon, it would have cost me half the money and given me probably 10 times the joy. It was a toss-up between the Predator and the Bergen, and I obviously made the wrong choice for ME. We have a saying in my country: Cheapness is expensive. Well, I went cheap on two counts: I figured a used Bergen would save me money (WRONG!) and the machine came with a spare frame, crash kit, blades, and all sorts of other goodies, and I figured I'd save on shipping parts if I ever needed them. Wrong again. Well, now I know.
I'd like to admit publicly that I did not come up with the Bergen Haters Club idea, although I wish I had. It's an underground organisation which does exist. I merely chose to bring it up to light, again prompted by the MHW article. And the Bergens we hate are not the nice folks who make the machines, but the machines themselves, and I for one would have liked it better if the great service delivered great parts which made great machines. One out of three won't cut it forever, and unless the nice Bergen folks realize this and act on it now for the future, they may have to start producing things which are not quite as demanding and complex as high-end model helicopters.
I would hope to one day meet Chris Bergen, not as someone I want to avoid, but as someone who thanks me for putting the mirror up, and for giving him real-world feed-back, which is the only kind that is worth a damn. I wish you guys the best of luck with the tough work you have ahead of you, and I am sincere in saying I hope you find a way to make things better. I would suggest the fan shroud as the very first part to be junked, redesigned, made better, and priced realistically. Take the main frame design next: The engine mounting, 7 points or not, is not appropriate. Copy existing layouts from Minair or Vario, as those work reliably. Increase the space between the main gear bolts and the bearing in front of the tail rotor output shaft. Use the same system on a Raptor Mini Titan for the tail rotor pitch control. And increase the size of most of the bearings and fasteners. The added grams will be well worth it. And this is just my opinion, but if the machine can get off the ground, that clutch better not slip... What I am saying is that it just may be time for Version 2.0, and it should come with proper instructions from the start.
I rest my peace. I will not close this topic, but I am done adding to it personally.
Good luck,
Gigi
My heli spending has gone way down since I got a Honda 919 :-) |
but I sure haven't witnessed any gross negligence with these heli's.
