Are you sure Heli Air are charging £2000 per year per helicopter for Part M services.
A friend of mine is about to consider them for maintenance on his Helicopter, I will see what he is quoted when he asks.
A £2,000 bill from Heliair for Part M suddenly landed unannounced on my door mat together with a thick wad of contracts to sign - all out of the blue. After I questioned it with Heliair, I was offered a reduction to £500 p.a. as long as I promised not to tell anyone else. I later found out that at least 3 others (and maybe many more) had also been offered the same 'secret' rate!
However, I still thought that was too much to charge for a
brand new machine that was still only 50% through its very first tech log and with a maintenance history that stretched to replacing a single landing light bulb (Heliair even charged £80 to replace that - a 10 minute job!!).
I don't like playing games and I don't like being ripped off, but after I was accused of lying, I decided it was time to move on - along with a few others who were fed up with Heliair's appalling attitude. If I treated my customers the same way that Heliair treats theirs, I would be out of business in no time! My machine is now looked after by another maintenance org which is part M approved and which charges
NOTHING for the privilege!! The maintenance rates are just £50/hour instead of the £75/hour at Heliair. My experience so far with this new company is that it is helpful, pro-active and honest - everything Heliair isn't. I'd be interested to see what your friend is told, but unless they enjoy being treated like an interuption and have money to burn, I'd avoid Heliair like the plague.
The real shame is the guys on the ground at Heliair are very good - despite being treated like s**t by Heliair's management - and therein lies the problem. Little people with big egos/attitude.