Costs
I work on the basis that when someone estimates a cost and downtime you should double them both and then add an arbitrary amount and then make no plans at all to need the thing back anyway, and then you might be pleasantly surprised.
Similarly when someone says they can definitely use 100 hours, I assume something will happen and I'll be lucky to get 50. Having said that, it looks like enough people who sound credible are happy to say they'll use a 206 (and no-one an Enstrom) that there is a fighting chance I will at least get close to absorbing a chunk of my fixed costs (yes that is deliberately vague!). Hell, I might even make money if engineers and prospective hirers are to be believed, perhaps I should buy two. Don't worry, the heat hasn't got to me, not serious.
Will fly the enstrom and am open minded to be converted but on a cost basis I think it would have to be close to being as much fun as an MD500 to justify itself. Similarly the R66 might be so much fun to fly, as some have said, that the fact that what is statistically a substantial proportion of the production so far have spontaneously fallen out of the sky can be dismissed as due to pilot error, something that would never happen to someone with my experience, and the fact it will never be Easa certified becomes a mere badge of exclusivity.
Someone said an MD500 can fit a 5th seat, I think that is theory only and not in UK due to front belt restrictions, could put an under slung stretcher for extra passengers but suspect it would cause objection.
Unfortunately I think there are too many AS350s around (near London) and operating costs too large and unpredictable for me to gamble on offsetting some of the fixed costs by charter. If someone can persuade me otherwise, please do.
The L1 5000 hr 1978 long ranger with good times does have a certain appeal though, even if more expensive for a number of reasons, capital, less return and more cost.
All comments have been very helpful and are appreciated, keep them coming.
Most importantly of all the great thing about this input and buying a 206 is I can now buy myself a helicopter as a toy and tell myself/others with an entirely straight face that I considered carefully, took advice and went for the sensible, family, financially prudent option, in much the same way that I bought a 4 seat Ferrari as a sensible family car which was financially prudent as it won't depreciate much further. ;-)