Hi K77,
I was 20 when I learned to fly and had just about managed to get all the money together by working 3 jobs while I did my industrial placement year from university. The R22 was my only option and even then I had to go the the US to be able to afford it.
So no, I could not have entertained the G2 as it would have been too expensive. Though I like it a lot.
If I was learning from fresh today, I would choose the R44 Raven 2, as this is what I fly day-to-day and so I would want the maximum experience possible in the machine I intended to use day to day before I let myself loose, I would also have trained in The UK, again as this is where I fly day to day.
I really like the G2, but for me it’s too small and too slow as a machine to use after qualification. Would you really want to learn on a machine as forgiving as a G2 and then go back to a 44 as a 55hr novice?
If you wander round the flying clubs and SFH places (perhaps with the exception of the London based guys), cost is prohibitive for most PPLH’s and most it seem only manage 5-15 hours per year and often don’t keep flying for long after passing. Often because there is nothing for them to ‘aspire’ to owning that is within reach.
We really need to drive the costs down to a level the market can stand, not what the industry ‘thinks’ it can get.
Hope that helps
CRAN