I got one of those 5 minute sight seeing rides in a Jet Ranger in '89. I always wanted to get my rotarcraft rating but it was too pricy. While my fixed wing was costing $36/hr for a C152 wet and $18/hr for the instruction, an R-22 was $125/hr in 10 hour blocks and the instruction was $25/hr. I always wanted to jump out of one and a hot air balloon too but haven't gotten the chance. I guess you really feel like you're falling on exit since you don't have initial forward airspeed to work with. One time, I could've gotten a slot on a balloon lift if I had gotten my rig packed 5 minutes sooner.
Joe
