Why are helicopters so expensive to charter?
As a humble fixed wing PPL, wonder if any of you can answer a long pondered question?
A gas turbine light helicopter is on average at least 10 times as expensive to charter (wet hire) as a piston engined light single fixed wing.
Where does the bulk of the overhead fall?
I assume it's not wages!
It's definitely not fuel.
Have always assumed it's the cost of deferred maintenance and the expense of components like rotor blades, or deferred overhaul cost of the turbine itself?
Why aren't they cheaper?
And will macines like the R66 make any difference....?