My chum’s Jet Ranger is great. I’d rather fly in that anytime than a C172 or similar Spam Can.
But put a Stearman (say) up against a Robinson and there’s no argument on Earth that would persuade any right-thinking person that the latter is a sensible choice.
Personally I’d love to extend my PPL to include the (H) if I could afford to fly a serious egg-beater (Or even that Bell 47 up there)
Moggy

I’d love a Jet Ranger…but it’s cost-wise not in the same league as a 172 or most other GA aircraft. And with the extra seats, speed, and altitude performance, it would be a lot more useful in my part of the world. But since I probably couldn’t find four friends that trust me enough to fly them, the payload issue is pretty academic. 😀
The great thing about the Robinson is the throttle governor…makes flying it more like a turbine ship and with less workload then a 47.

BTW: I spoke with a guy in Texas who offered to build me a civil OH-58 for about $100,000. Not a bad deal. But, it would have been licensed as “Experimental” here in the US and made out of overhauled military surplus parts. A civil, certified Jet Ranger goes for a lot more than that.

I agree with your statement about Stearmans vs. Robinsons…I have several friends with Stearmans and they have a lot of fun with them. I’d take a Stearman over a Robinson (or a 172, etc) any day…but not over a Bell 47.