To: John Eacott. .. .When a contract is let for a series of commercial aircraft it is specified that the manufacturer of the aircraft provide so many manuals used in direct support of the aircraft and all necessary shop manuals to support second and third level maintenance. Suppliers of appliances used on the aircraft must provide second and third level maintenance handbooks in support of those appliances. None of this is paid for. If a change is made to the manuals these changes must be provided at no cost. ATA now requires that these manuals be available in electronic form which allows reproduction of the technical material as many times as necessary.. .. .Regarding helicopters, they are not usually ordered in large numbers but if the customer is sharp in his negotiations he will request the necessary support manuals for each helicopter purchased. If additional manuals are requested over and above those contracted for then the product support department will sell them to the buyer.. .. .I guess since you had to pay so much for your manuals then obviously there is no hard and fast rule. It is also obvious that the manufacturer has priced the manuals in order to recoup his investment in their production.