Hello vbmenu_register("postmenu_3288034", true); Hawkesy,
I put a few figures together on starting a training organisation together with the following
full time CFI
additional freelance pilots until another could be hired
Office Walla
1 x R22
1 X R44
Rent on office and hangar space
2 x helipads with unlimited landings
maintenance
insurance
loan repayments on the helis
fuel
The intention was to own the helis, run a profesional organisation and pay the staff properly in a similar way to my engineering company.
Based on a reasonable amount of hours a year the business would have lost money, based on even more hours it seemed like it would lose even more.
The conclusion to make money was :-
(1) Con some poor sod into leasing the aircraft to you - you pay them a low figure they take the risk thinking that your lease back will lower the ownership costs.
(2) Do not pay the pilots well - ie pay them by the hour not a wage, the rate you pay them per hour might seem high from outside the industry but multiply it by bugger all when the weather is bad or there is no work and it is not so good.
My reason for looking at this was I own a company and thought perhaps a nice little aviation company attached to it would give me a bit of cheap flying.
One of my instructors told me another saying - if it flies f--ks or floats rent it don't buy it - rude maybe but the first and last are probably true.
i am sure that I will get shot down in flames as I am only a PPLH - and my comments are based on running my own engineering company and 2 years seeing how an operation works during my training and self fly hire.