A flow chart? Excellent! I was headed a different direction, using the PUGH method. My boss uses that and it's great. I don't know if you're familiar with it, so here's the Wiki description.
The decision-matrix method, also Pugh method, is a quantitative technique used to rank the multi-dimensional options of an option set. It is frequently used in engineering for making design decisions but can also be used to rank investments options, vendor options, product options or any other set of multidimensional entities.

A basic decision matrix consists of establishing a set of weighted criteria upon which the potential options can be decomposed, scored, and summed to gain a total score which can then be ranked.

The advantage of this approach to decision making is that subjective opinions about one alternative versus another can be made more objective. Another advantage of this method is that sensitivity studies can be performed. An example of this might be to see how much your opinion would have to change in order for a lower ranked alternative to out rank a competing alternative.

A flow chart would be an IF / THEN path to the resolution. That could get huge, and it could be a lot of fun to do. The flow chart is familiar to a lot of us. The Pugh chart is simple addition for the user but it's tough to come up with the correct weighting for each category.
I was thinking about starting with the helicopters in the 500 class, then as the reader closes doors (limited funding, lousy abilities, no mechanical ability) the choices become more limited. I think I need several categories of helicopters to start with. And I need a list of decisions that the reader needs to make/answer. I can take that to the forum and when I have a list of determining factors I can start.

Glad to see that there is some interest in this. Sounds like a cool project but it probably won't actually guide anyone to their final destination. What it will do is illustrate the factors to consider and the vast variety of helicopters in the pot-of-gold at the end of the rainbow. I'm still liking a version of a flow chart but I'm not quite sure what to do with it. In my head it keeps becoming a 3D chart and that's just too hard to control.

Time to start my lists and ask for input. Is any of the old crew still on the eflight forum or have they moved on? The Collective does have the answers if they (we) are still around.
Solo