I'm ready to install the Ballast Weight Weldment on my A600 kit.  Seems pretty straightforward, however I'd like some perspective and suggestions on a concern I have.    The weldment fits well longitudinally, doesn't look like I will need any shims where it bolts to the Tailboom bulkheads.   However, the attachment plate sits over 3/16 inches above the tail boom skin.   That's a stack of several pieces of aluminum for a pretty dang thick shim.    Looking at why it sits so high,  I see, and these pictures show, the weldment bracket at the forward bulkhead is interfered with by rivets.    The unusual thing, is of all the rivets on that bulkhead, only these two protrude that high (mandrel head).   These two rivets are at the point where the small panel on the bottom of the tail boom overlaps the primary skin and the stringer, so there are four layers being held by those two rivets.   The panel skin the primary skin, the stringer, and the bulkhead.   

I'm not a sheetmetal expert, not professionally trained on sheetmetal work.   Cherrylock,  CherryMax, all exceed my level of training.  I'm pretty good with traditional aluminum solid shank rivets and Rotorway level pop rivets.   I'm looking for thoughts.
Seems like I can mount it as it sits, and stack about 7/32" of aluminum shims between the mounting plate and the tailboom skin, possibly remove some material from the weldment bracket to give clearance/space for the rivet mandrel, or ?

Hopefully these pictures will illustrate the question.   The tube portion of the weldment is resting on the rivet mandrel.


  
 

Update 05/17/2026: I've been informed that James no longer works for the company that acquired RotorX's assets and will no longer be selling any parts. If this is an error, please send me a message. Otherwise, this thread is closed until further notice and it's recommended that you do not contact him for rotorway-related matters.

 

While digging through my old pile of notes i made when researching a potential rotorway kit purchase I came across this.    I don't know where I saw it, or who wrote it.
I'm going to quote what I wrote down, and I'm specifically asking what your thought are on nutplates across the the top and bottom of the windscreen.

"Now ,I’m all in favor of items to improve safety or maintenance. You should build the machine like you were going to take it apart next week. Anything attached to the seats should be very easy to remove or disconnect. Seats should be very easy to remove from the rest of the body panels to make easy access to the front of the engine and the lower main shaft area. This means nutplates across the top of the windscreen and I also put them on the bottom of the windscreen , too. bolts can be used on the door posts, they can come out with the windscreen. Hardly ever any need to separate them again.
Also , make holes in seats big enough so belts can go thru them without removing frame attachments."

Good Day Rotorway Community-  I'm happy to be on this forum and hope it grows.  Retired a few years ago from a 42 year career flying helicopters in the Army and then Civil EMS.   I'm a long time looker of Rotorways since the scorpion days, but never really had the stars to line up until -  Unfortunately for me and many many others, RotorX resurrected kit sales.   I hemmed and hawed and swallowed their hook as their get in early sale ended.  Lost my shirt like many others.   After licking my wounds for a couple years, cashed out my kids inheritance and bought an engine from Joe Huff and found enough A600 parts on the open market to complete my project.

I no longer have a facebook account and know that many others in this community also refrain from using large commercial social media apps, so if you are on any of the rotorway facebook groups and see something interesting, I hope you will copy into this forum for those of us not on that platform.

This forum will be my platform for tapping into the knowledge base of current Rotorway owners/operators/maintainers for guidance and assistance as I get back on my RotorX Frankenkit project as I refer to is as.

Please feel free to comment on my progress or lack of it on my thread in the Rotorway Builders section.

Hi All,

I just installed a new Peter K cog belt drive and had to raise the entire mast assembly 0.08 inches at the lower mast bearing (via a shim) to maintain specified clearance between the driven cog and the longitudinal square frame tube.

When I re-rig the controls I plan to simply adjust the length of the rod ends on the collective control rod to compensate and return the system to RW specs. Am I missing anything?

Thx!

The 2026 Northwest Gathering will be June 14-20 in Harlowton Montana (KHWQ). More details to come!

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Could be a scammer, could be Robin, or somebody else.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/pts/d...39139.html

Hi All, Welcome to my build. not quite a full build and not quite a resurrection, more like a resuscitation as this Kit is from late 99, has passed through 3 hands two that have really done any work to it, one that has ran it for a 0.1, and none that have flown it as it is still incomplete.

i came into this kit as a hobbiest who likes to tinker and love helicopters, they are my profession as a Mechanic and i am certified to fly them. so why not try at my own!

i only have a 2 car garage with a 7ft high garage door at this time so space is limited.


but i'm determined!

this will be the start of my build thread where i will mostly just ramble... feel free to chime in. call me an idiot, give me kudos, or just read on and pass right on through. this is my page to collect my thoughts and post my pretty build photos i am proud(and some not so proud) of.

i may also post some inspiring flying pictures and cool pictures of my work all helicopter related.

Has anyone got a 3D model (STEP FILE) would be great, of the Rotorway Engine?