How about $6,000 and eighteen months for RVSM approval, aside from the fact the aircraft left the factory RVSM approved and flew all the way to OZ through RVSM airspace and Thats not counting the eighteen months of flying about at FL280 pumping vast amounts of carbon into our atmosphere.
Something seems to happen as soon as that VH is painted on an airframe.
What about the RVSM monitoring by the Australian Airspace Monitoring Authority (a division of Airservices)? They insist on costly monitoring of
all aircraft wishing to operate in RVSM airspace in Australia, including foreign-registered aircraft. Even if the regulator in the state of registry accepts the RVSM certification, AAMA still insist on periodic monitoring, and in a sweet little deal that they have with Pearl, the user really pays for this one.