mi 2 operating cost

[nobrusk]

someone on this forum had mentioned that operating cost of MI 2 is comparable R44.... seems unrealistic.

I'm trying to learn more about MI 2, what would be a conservative estimate of operating this thing say on a 60 hours a month? how difficult is it to source parts for this aircraft; does PZL still support MI 2?

Thanks...

[bolkow]

a model remote control one might be!

[nobrusk]

lol...seriously though any idea?

[tecpilot]

60h a month, 720 a year? Thats more than on the most common types in common operations.

Forget Mi-2 on such intensive operations. The Mi-2 needs every day a mechanic. The TBOs are very low, all spare parts are available - but not just in time. May be you have to wait a few months for the right. Forget PZL, they are not able to support their more modern W3A, they don't look back for older Mi-2 and they are today really really expensive after 20 years in "western" business. :\


Are Mi-2 cheaper to operate than R-44? Are you kidding? 300l fuel + a few quarts oil per hour. It's a 3,5to twin-engine helicopter of 40 years old construction with really a lot of systems (much more than on a UH-1) incl. hydraulics, fire system, de-icing, pressurized air, a/c and d/c electronics and so on.

Yes it's cheap to operate, but only if you buy the cheapest ship without papers from a forgotten place and operate it without any maintenance and any papers up to the point it will kill you. May be it will happen before you reach your 60h limit in the first month :)

[Shawn Coyle]

nobrusk:
where would you want to operate an Mi-2? Have you looked at the Flight manual or flown in one?
I can honestly say that it's one of the few helicopters I would not have many kind words for. My one 15 minute flight in it was 10 minutes too long. No tail rotor authority, Russian engine version has little or no performance outside of a cool day, field of view from the cockpit is almost non-existant, etc....

[topik22]

Hello,
I have spent more than 300 hours flying Mi-2...very nice machine...there is NO bad machine, only bad pilots...;)

[9Aplus]

In case you MUST operate Mi2,
than go to Kania version. (Allison)
ATE in Poprad just to operate one, few years ago....

Even today some people outside of PZL are doing miracles
out of Mi2 plus. The best type operation knowledge is in
Heliseco - Lublin see Heliseco (http://www.heliseco.pl)

[nobrusk]

Thank you all for your insightful input...Let me do more research on this...