Real Cost of Ownership: Helicopters

[z987k]

You are so right... Hughes OH-6A / Hughes 369D / MD-500 wins hands down.



Ever heard of a full-down autorotation? I'm not a helicopter pilot (one day I will afford it!) but you can safely land without engine power so long as you have the airspeed/altitude to establish a glide.

Ya it's not the engine failing that pulls these things out of the sky at an alarming rate, it's the ground that reaches up and eats them.

 

[swisspilot]

That's probably true. However, it doesn't change the fact that you'll be paying about 60% more than fixed wing training.

True, but if you compare it to the cost of getting a fixed wing license at some of the 141 academies out there you are around the same numbers.

 

[swisspilot]

I think multi-engine helicopter pilots can get away with a lot more stuff, since you can fall back on that 2nd engine to at least help you land should you have an engine failure. Obviously the guys in this thread who do fly them would know better than I.

According to statistics twin helicopters are not that much safer, some of the factors that make you loose an engine have the same impact on single or twin engine, think about fuel starvation for example.

I`m no helicopter pilot but from my observations I have noticed that twin engine helicopters do a lot more risky stuff, while living in Brazil you would hear all the time of accidents involving big twins doing offshore work, while it was rare that some of the smaller city roof hoppers would end up on the news.

 

[hammerhat]

$6,000 for personal liability only is friggin nuts. I knew helicopters were expensive, but..... daaaaang!

That must be one of the more expensive policies available on the market. R22 can be "insured" by Pathfinder for approx. $1500 liability only and around $6000 hull. It also surprising that it doesn't make much difference whether you are a low time private owner with PPL or a high time CFI looking to insure the ship for flight instruction, the premium is only about a grand higher for flight school use. Pathfinder is not a real insurance company, it's incorporated offshore, and their policy has some strings attached. The real insurance from a U.S. underwriter would cost twice as much. And in either case hull deductible is about 10% which translates into 15-20K and that is friggin nuts if you ask me.

 

[MikeD]

According to statistics twin helicopters are not that much safer, some of the factors that make you loose an engine have the same impact on single or twin engine, think about fuel starvation for example.

I`m no helicopter pilot but from my observations I have noticed that twin engine helicopters do a lot more risky stuff, while living in Brazil you would hear all the time of accidents involving big twins doing offshore work, while it was rare that some of the smaller city roof hoppers would end up on the news.

Twins are generally used for overwater, even though at some of their weights, the second engine only cushions your landing point. Having the extra engine is nice, but not a guarantee of anything, especially when many accidents aren't mechanical related.

 

[dustoff17]

Intresting timing on this post;
Our operation just took delivery of a Bell 407GX. We are moving up from a R66. It will be revealing to track operating cost differences as things progress.

 

[Roger Roger]

Ya it's not the engine failing that pulls these things out of the sky at an alarming rate, it's the ground that reaches up and eats them.

You know if those guys would fly above 500 once in a while maybe they wouldn't hit so much stuff.

 

[deadstick]

You know if those guys would fly above 500 once in a while maybe they wouldn't hit so much stuff.

Not gonna do it. Scared of heights. Don't we need oxygen at that altitude.

 

[Autothrust Blue]