Hughes 500:
Nice try. No cigar.
I bought a helicopter last year, after long and careful appraisal. I looked at the Schweizer and the R22, among others. I looked at actual maintenance records, actual utility figures, I looked at performance, handling, safety, and last but not least I looked at money. I bought the R22. Why? Because nothing else even came close, on any criterion with the exception of office space. I just got a 50-hr bill this month… it’s £216 plus VAT. My insurance is £272 a month for a machine that does about 400hr a year, on a school flightline. My fuel bill is £23 an hour. The 300 just isn’t in the hunt, and anybody who has to stoop to “it isn’t a Robinson” to justify running a 300 must know exactly what I mean.