Give me a 350, Gazelle, 500 series any day of the week.
He is asking about the operating costs! As a operator or private owner I would say the 206B is cheapest to operate, by far, compared to other single engine turbine helicopters.
I have been involved in operating a private AB206B and it was very cheap to operate, I have heard some horror stories about DOC costs in the UK but a big part of the cost of operation is the maintenance shop. If the shop or mechanic (engineer in UK) is trustworthy and not ripping you off then the aircraft itself is not expensive to operate.
My experience is Euro 250-300.-
pr/hr DOC costs.
Bell says about $200.- in the US.
Iīm not sure anymore about the insurance rates but they used to be some years ago about 5% of the hull rate so about Euro 12.500.- plus liability. My guess is you pay now between Euro 15-20.000.- in insurance but it varies with the underwriters.
To come to a hourly figure including everything to operate the aircraft is difficult. You have to include direct operating costs and add fixed annual costs and they can vary widely depending on type of operation and place. So DOC costs is only small part of the total cost to operate the aircraft but gives indication on cost of operation of this type versus other types which also will need hangar, insurance etc.
Another factor to consider is safety. If you are planning to use this personally or for some type of work then the 206 is most surely a safe aircraft as long as you dont overload it. It will not carry AS350 loads so donīt try that
But itīs also a lot cheaper to operate than 350.
If I ever have an engine failure in a single engine helicopter I hope that I will be so lucky to be in a B206, it will make the landing much smoother
