Landing the MD 530F in the Rattlesnake Pit

We flew out to Mesa, AZ to spend the day with MD Helicopters! Come along with us for an all access pass to the factory, production and flight lines. They even let me get behind the controls of their new 530F for a test flight! Luckily, no rattlesnakes or cameramen were harmed during filming. ;)
IG: / r_and_w
TikTok: / mikebalintheli

[@gileslaney5263]

Awesome, now I want to go take a tour!

[@HeliPilotLeigh]

Awesome!! Love this Mike!! Thanks for taking us all behind the scenes, and thanks for the shout out!!!🙌🙌🙌

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Thanks so much!!! 🔥🔥🔥

[@LOVE-62]

As a HC Pilot myself, what a dream job. Living the life 🚁🙌🏻

[@stefanosemisa9288]

My favourite helicopter... I flew it on a tuna boat for 1 year. Best helicopter ever... ❤ always a special place in my heart

[@astircalix4126]

I will Never forget the hughes 500D grasp! I've made tons of autorotations and I can affirm this is the safest helicopter on Earth.

[@MikeBalintHeli]

I love them! I wasn’t even a pilot yet when they were Hughes tho 🤣

[@astircalix4126]

​@@MikeBalintHeli Thanks for your comment ! After flying the Hughes 500 in 1981 we took the Bell UH 1H course and continued flying both types of helicopters. What a magical transition! Thirty years later I was commissioned to MINUSTAH (Haiti) as 3rd Commander of the Argentine Aviation Unit where I flew the Bell 212. All my knowledge about helicopters came from ab-initio training on the incredible H 500.

[@pixamite1]

AWESOME!!!!!! I love all of the MD 500 series helicopters👍🏼

[@Donald-ky2fg]

Dude!! Your autorotate was amazing

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Thank you! I have practiced those a bit 🚁

[@ThomasHabr]

So good 💥 You did guys a good job🙏🏼

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Daniel does a lot of work to make it look this good! Thanks for the support!! 🤘🏼🔥🔥🔥

[@helitackmac6041]

deadly first video mike keep up the heli content !

[@MikeBalintHeli]

I’m gonna try! Thanks for the support! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@Stubby0266]

My favorite helo. Have yet to get a ride in one. Been in 6 different helos but not in a MD series. Dang it. Nice vid !

[@SpyderRacing]

Nice, video was fun to watch.

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Thank you!! 🤘🏼🔥

[@Mytubes6363]

I lived in this area of Arizona for 20yrs and its very cool to see those surroundings again. And the helicopters are just cool as all hell. But I must say all the jokes about the rattle snakes are miss leading. I spent many days out there winter and summer and never saw one snake. And I was born in west Texas where there are way more snakes and they mostly stay hidden in the rocks and bushes and you would have to step right on one to get bit. So I can appreciate the humor for the sake of a good video but there's no need to worry about snakes.

[@Jordan.Is.Novice]

Awesome stuff man, you've come a long way!

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Thank you bro!!

[@MCplicki]

Fucking love the 500s!

[@MikeBalintHeli]

They are quite an awesome machine! So much fun to fly although it took me a bit to get used to the trim system over hydraulics

[@MCplicki]

@@MikeBalintHeli Yeah I bet its different, I was only lucky enough to fly with it as a passenger a couple of times. Made me rethink my career choices, I am currently looking in on how I can afford flight school. :D

[@tripacer8259]

Very cool!!

[@benjamingragg]

Heck yeah brotha!! RP content coming soon

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Is RP a new model of Heli?!

[@feeldvision]

Yeaaah! 🔥

[@benjamingragg]

Great job making our boy look good 🤣🤣

[@feeldvision]

@@benjamingragg haha 😂 sure thing!

[@LatitudeSky]

Loved seeing glimpses of a couple NOTAR tail booms. The said last year they would be restarting production on the 600N and I just hope that has now happened. Love all the MDs but the 600N is my fave.

[@crazyralph6386]

600N are not big sellers. Better they focus on the E and F models, since they’re by far the most popular MD products on the market.

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Ya there were a few there, I think a lot of people prefer the normal rotor because of the tail rotor authority, I haven’t personally flown NOTAR but it would be cool to see the difference!

[@a-fl-man640]

i fly my md-500 in 7 days to die. it will have to do. real one looks like fun. the 172 MD reference made sense, fixed wing ME once but helicopters look way more fun.

[@ReptileRescue]

I've hiked that exact area. That's the base of Superstition Mtn. in Apache Junction.

[@av8or849]

Great machine. It is an E model not an F. The F has a longer tail boom and larger diameter blades. E's actually fly better!

[@elmerfudd7674]

I really want to be a helicopter pilot but I refuse to grow a mullet.

[@geddon436]

I've never flown in one, but, I would love to fly in one

[@Nico-dt3pf]

You guys explain how this guy only has 346 subs? I'll make it 347, although it should be like 50k.

[@feeldvision]

Thank you for your support! We’ll try to do more cool stuff 🤙

[@sceptre1922]

I missed working on these when I was with the Night Stalkers as the Maintenance Supervisor on the "Little Birds!" At the beginning, it was under Hughes Helicopter at the time. By the way, the Notor was a concept. I remember first seeing the Notor on a 500-frame sitting corner of the factory. before I forget the start of the "Long Bow" was starting in day-view at that time there as well. Check my avatar, I'm pictured at the far right in front of the tail rotor.

[@ajnow1063]

Just an FYI- MD helicopters is not McDonnell Douglass helicopters!! McDonnell Douglass merged with the Boeing Company in year 1997.

[@Manufly59]

Don't be afraid of nature. There in Arizona desert is nothing to kill or harm you. Best regards from Finland.😄

[@Skidderoperator]

SASQUATCH , SKINWALKERS, and Mexican cartels!!!

[@tendencytotranslate2524]

I can not believe MD has to get out a new message, and marketing to the Helicopter industry. Tilton did a bang up job ;). Great aircraft!!

[@MikeBalintHeli]

It was my understanding from Ashley that they have a terrific reputation in the military and utility sectors of the Heli market but not so much with VIP transport so their new models are getting updated avionics like G500’s and nicer interior to target that market sector as well. Really a great company and aircraft!

[@tendencytotranslate2524]

@@MikeBalintHeli The MD is absolutely iconic, and (as you know) so fun to fly! Love the videos you do!

[@crazyralph6386]

@@MikeBalintHeliSorry, but there’s no putting lipstick on this pig and making it corporate, no matter what avionics or glass package you put in it? You’re a big dude, and know how tight it is in the front and back? If people want to ride in comfort and style, they’ll just spend the extra $1M and get a 407 or H125 instead. Heck, they might even throw in a mini bar for free at Bell or Airbus? 😂 The 500 models are purely bush workers, stump pullers, criminal catchers and sand blasters, very niche market. They’ve tried the whole VIP thing with the MD900 and 600N, and it simply wasn’t there, and now they’re a dime a dozen on Aerotrader. Wish they’d focus more on utility, cause they’re excellent workers, but part shortages have been a drag, especially when all focus was on military contracts? Maybe it’s different since the changing of the guard? Good luck on your endeavours., and fly safe!

[@grahamwillie2664]

I miss my C so much

[@DanO530.8]

Im Daniel and had to fight off a crap load of people for no damn reasons even the weekend would agree and many other artists

[@crazyralph6386]

That’s an E model you’re flying not an F

[@MikeBalintHeli]

Funny story, we shot all the desert parts of the video earlier in the week when we were supposed to fly an F model. But the day of, we flew an E model. Daniel asked me if I wanted to re-shoot and I was like nahhhh no one will notice 😂. So anyway, I was just hoping no one would notice. 😂😂😂

[@crazyralph6386]

@@MikeBalintHeli haha, you’re right, most people couldn’t tell the difference unless you’ve flown or fixed one. Longer T/R shaft and M/R blades notwithstanding, the plenum on the engine cowls near the exhaust stack is always a dead giveaway! That, or the 530F decals on the vertical stab!!! 😂

[@flymachine]

Wait? Pilots can’t have long hair? That’s my next T-Shirt

[@LTTUSA]

So, what’s the difference between MD Helicopters, McDonell Douglas and Hughes when it comes to the 500 series of helis?

[@MrBigdaddysdaddy]

F model is the hot rod of the 500 line

[@MikeBalintHeli]

They called it the “Ferrari” of the sky when I was there! 🤣

[@chadpyett6441]

So did you buy a machine?

[@Bigdream09]

Whice camera use and lens ?

[@feeldvision]

Sony A7IV and Sony G Master lenses 🤘

[@rangerider51]

Love those little birds (MD 500 series helicopters). They’re good looking helicopters. Much better than those Robinson helicopters. Those things are ugly.

[@tandyallen8498]

might have been able to watch more than 5 minutes of this video if it wasn't for the silliness

[@ericeaklor1300]

Weren't the camera man

[@davebryant6905]

having the background music playing most of the time is just awful