I'm a bit worried !

[dave peers]

cos ,
its all quiet on the western front?
wots occuring guys!
nobody *****ing moaning,
or could it be that centuary are getting there act togeher at last ?
lol !

[jackheli]

I have all my Century birds up and running except for one, which is actually brand new and on the bench:

A highly modified Raven 50
A Predator 70 SE
A Predator Carbon Gasser 260
An Agusta 109 with Falcon 46 SE mechanics
A Twinstar with Hawk 46 Pro mechanics


This is a record for me since I had a fair bit of bas luck recently... touch wood!

[RAV50]

Very interesting thread. I noted that Dave is from the UK and Jackheli is from Canada.

Relative to a manufacturer e.g. Century from the USA with an independant distributor in the UK for the UK buyers and also with an independant distributor in Canada for Canadian buyers, I think that how the customers are served, in each of these countries, is more a reflection on the distributor then on the manufacturer.

Much the same as buyers of product from a Japanese manufacturer like JR is, with an independent distributor in the USA (Horizon) and in the UK (MacGregor) or Hirobo with MRC in the USA and Perkins (??) in the UK. In these examples, the success of the manufacturers brand, in these countries, are directly related to how their distributors market their products in their designated markets (countries).

IMHO, this is probably why a brand that may be popular in one country may not be as popular in another. Or customers of a brand in one country may be happy with the brand, while customers of the same brand in another country may not be as satisfied.

Of course all of this assumes that the manufacturer has the products, prices, parts supply etc. to properly support these distributors.

As a long time Century fan, I also think that their forums may not get as many posts as some other brand specific forums because most threads on any brand is relative to issues that the buyers may encounter. With Century there seems to be less product direct issues then with some other brands. The results is a more quiet community.

[dave peers]

cos ,
its all quiet on the western front?
wots occuring guys!
nobody *****ing moaning,
or could it be that centuary are getting there act togeher at last ?
lol !

rav rav !
i just luv the centuary helis
they fly great , look good ,fairly easy to work on ,bits for them can be expensive
depending on what your requirements are.
the back up from the uk rep (coolice) is brilliant
our problem originates in the usa the uk supplyrs cannot get enough parts thro, they are always on back order, or awaiting a delivery! !
hence our frustration at down time and cannot fly !
there is only one outlet in the uk other than centuary uk that holds significant stock
all the others hold kits but no stock they will order parts for you (from centuary uk)
i can just pick up the phone and go direct or e mail and get parts IF THEY ARE IN STOCK
i am not talking weird parts ,but simple things like booms, head spindles ect !!!!!
thats why i scream SHAME
if i have a hennslett or hirobo or any generic heli the uk stock holders have got bits for them
SSSSSSSSSSso thats why i am so vocal about this
we have paid a lot of money for the privilage of buying ther product and using it and not getting the back up we deserve.
so think on people think on

[RAV50]

Hi Dave,

I hear you. I can remember a number of times here in the GWN (Great White North - also known as Canada) when we had many problems getting Hirobo parts and also Thunder Tiger parts, as it seemed their Canadian distributors did/do not understand that, unlike my airplane flying buddies, us heli fliers need parts more frequently and when we do, we want them "yesterday".

I guess, here in the GWN, we are pretty fortunate, as the hobby shops I get my Century parts from report that our Century distributor seems to almost always have all the parts they order.

[dave peers]

i hear you m8
it sticks in the throat
still a bitter pill to swallow

[Coolice]

Hey All,

Unfortunately obtaining some of the critical spares for certain models has been a real problem for us, even us sponsored fliers have had to wait on parts to arrive so we can get flying again and from the public perspective it is very annoying.

Luckily there does now appear to be light at the end of the tunnel, with plenty of spares winging their way to us pretty quickly to restock both our shelves and our retailers.

Every effort is made to ensure this doesn't happen, but the reality is it sometimes does and we have to work hard to get over the obstacles.

On behalf of Century I appologise to all and everyone who has had to wait on spares to get flying again and thank them for sticking with us.

P.S. Dave, cheque in the post for the kind words matey ;-)
I do try to be available to anyone with a problem or question regarding Century helicopters as I have a real passion for them and indeed the hobby.
.

[dave peers]

praise were praise is due m8,
if it was not for you
i would have binned centuary long ago
an my missis is chewing my ear ole to get me of this machine im orf for a quickym8