Originally Posted by
aa777888
VF you are so totally off base here, and I'm really surprised that that is the case, because I have to believe that your economic savvy is just as good as everything else you do. I realize that some folks carry a lot of emotion with respect to Robinson helicopters, and that you lost someone close to you in a Robinson, but that in no way means that the economics of operating Robinsons violate the laws of physics, or sanity. Bottom line up front: the operating costs of an R22 are absolutely, positively and unambiguously lower than a G2, by some $125/hr, and that includes profit. This assumes, of course, that the average US hourly rate for a G2 of approx. $375 is set with the same degree of care that the average hourly rate for an R22 of $250 is set.
That $250/hr for an R22 easily covers all direct and indirect operating costs, including all fuel, oil, insurance, periodic maintenance, overhauls (yes, even the Big One), rebuilds, etc., etc., and provides a reasonable profit, as well. This requires, of course, that the ship is flying at least 500 hours a year or so such that the insurance is properly amortized, and that the operation in question qualifies for reasonable insurance rates. But these issues are the same for all helicopters, and familiar to all helicopter owners/operators, or at least should be. Similarly, the typical rate for an R44 of $450/hr works the same, and provides a profit close to $150/hr for a busy ship. As an owner of an R44, I can absolutely assure you this is the case.
As for what happens to old R22s, as far as I know the workhorses that belong to schools are overhauled in accordance with the maintenance manuals and keep on flying. I'm not aware of any sketchy stuff going on, at least not in this neck of the woods. The school I am associated with is also a Robinson dealer and maintenance organization and they overhaul timed out ships on a regular basis. I've watched the overhaul process and flown 22's both before and after their overhauls. No fuss, no muss, the system works, and provides a measure of predictability to maintenance costs far beyond that of other helicopters and still keeps operating costs lower than any other helicopter. The only downside is that one needs to bank those dollars and not be tempted to spend them prior to the Big Overhaul. You can predict your cash flow requirements much more easily with a Robinson, but you can also much more easily find yourself short of cash when the overhaul comes due if you don't exercise some appropriate fiscal restraint. When the latter problem occurs that's where you find good deals on timed out ships, which are subsequently purchased, properly overhauled by smarter operators. and put back to work.
Hey aa777888.....Lets just say I don't agree with Your opinion on the Robinson running costs....
(no offense intended) If You owned & operated one personally & covered all the real costs then You'd know, but, only then. I know a few private owners that are covering all the real costs & it ain't anywhere as cheap as what You think! The primary reason the Robbo is so popular is because of the purchase price, that's it, end of story
You really think Frank had some extra unique magic dust in his pockets when he created the cheapest machine on Earth? It's a numbers game & all numbers are basically equal, unless pixi dust is replacing the magic dust
Be Happy; keep it in the green & do everything into wind, except pee
