chopjock -
In my experience turbine (anything) is just more expensive, and generally a lot more fun. I have owned turbine airplanes (still do) and they are just more expensive than their piston counterparts. Even brand new turbines.
My 500 burned twice as much fuel at the same speed as my R44 carrying the same four people the same 350 miles every weekend. The C18 my buddy had in his C model 500 had to have the containment ring AD complied with at a cost of several years of my total R44 maintenance. The insurance on my 500 at a hull value of $1.1M was over four times the cost of my R44 insurance at $400k.
Was the 500 more fun.? Absolutely it was. Is the Enstrom more fun? Not the one that I have flown. Is there something that costs the same as a new R44 to purchase and operate, flies 115 knots on 14GPH and goes 350 miles non-stop in air-conditioned comfort? Not that I have found.
Is the R44 safe..? Well, in 1300 hours in it I never had it explode on me, never had it throw a main or rotor blade, never had the main rotor depart the aircraft due to mast bumping, never had my engine quit, never had any unscheduled maintenance except for a battery and an electric fuel pump.
My 500 never had any unscheduled maintenance, but the maintenance it did need was very costly.
I would be curious of the operating costs of other 500 owners here absent maybe the insurance. Maybe I was outside the norm, but I have multiple friends that own 500s (its a small world for 500 owners) and many of them are at or near the same hourly costs after you factor out insurance.
So I don't think my costs were because I had the wrong 500, they were just because I had A 500!
