Agusta 100 hourly/annual inspection $A42,140

[Dick Smith]

I put my 2003 Agusta A109E in to the service organisation at Bankstown Airport for its 100 hourly/annual inspection. The aircraft had a total time of 996.1 hours and went in with no reportable deficiencies.

My Agusta has been a fantastic aircraft and incredibly reliable. Typically it goes in for a 100 hourly and there are no squawks to report.

In this case, the 100 hourly cost was $42,140 Australian dollars, including $3,800 in GST. The engineering labour cost was 113 hours at $140 per hour (which is $15,890). A few of the expensive parts included bellows at $2,400, a tail rotor duplex bearing at $4,500 and the five year hydrostatic test on fire bottles at $5,800 (for the two).

Considering the aircraft had only done 45.8 hours since the last 100 hourly, it seems like a lot of money, but I think it is pretty typical of the previous 100 hourlies I have had in the last 10 or so years.

Can anyone comment on whether this is similar to the charges in the USA or the UK for a 100 hourly on a similar aircraft? I’m interested to know if there are unique requirements in Australia that make the aircraft so expensive to maintain. There seems to be quite a drop off of A109Es operating in Australia. I’m wondering if it is because the servicing costs are so high.

I ask PPRuNers not to misunderstand me – I’m not complaining about the high cost, I’m just stating it as a fact. It could be one of the reasons that general aviation in Australia is so depressed.

[Hughes500]

Dick

Dont own a 109 but I think you will find all the OEM's are in competition as to who can charge the most for maintaining their machines. An example MD have just put the price up on transmission overhauls from $80k to around $125k overnight. People wonder why the market is going downhill !!!:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[noooby]

113 hours is 2 guys working 8 hour days, for 7 working days.

That sounds a bit high for a 100 hour check. IMHO.

[as350nut]

Why shouldn't you complain Dick ;and all owners should complain about a system that only works for commercial operators. By this I mean if you operate a 109, MD 500, or a AS350 and have a $2,000+ charge out rate of course you can at least accept a big 100hr, or a 2yr,6yr,or 12 yr, but if you are a private operator its just prohibitive, I don't care how much money you have its just not realistic. I had the experience of a EC120 that had a fresh 12 yr done by Airbus/Eurocopter, and at the 2 yr it still cost 40,000 and only 200 hrs flown. It beggars belief that the charges delivered to owners just for looking at aircraft, that is I will look at your helicopter for 2 weeks, nothing replaced, nothing found wrong, often working better before they got hold of it than after the looking process is just ridiculous. I am over it. Makes you like the Robi. So in this case ( the 109) it works out at $140 an hour flown for the engineer to look at the aircraft. So at the rate charged for labour, its the same as having him sit in the seat while the hours were flown. I wonder if that would work?

[Jelico]

Cant comment on the cost, especially as it includes parts replacement. In terms of labour, thats roughly what you will pay here in NZ for someone qualified to work on the 109. From memory, our 109 takes about a week to go through a "clean" 100hr. As soon as something pops up, it drags out. Great helicopter, with lots of capability but she's not a simple beast.

[Kulwin Park]

113 hours is 2 guys working 8 hour days, for 7 working days.

That sounds a bit high for a 100 hour check. IMHO.

Well 113 hours is also 3 engineering related staff working a standard 7.5 hour day, 5 days a week.

That is a better perspective. And when I mean maintenance related staff, that includes the Maintenance Controller looking at the logbooks to see if everything is upto date, check any ADs or SBs have come out in last 12 months, and raise a workpack - that could come to 2-4 hours depending on requirements?
Also, the Chief Engineer and Spares department to liaise with parts suppliers and freight companies.
And engineers doing their normal inspections, plus the time taken to replace those parts or remove & refit those fire bottles.
The labour time and parts seem standard to me. Though I'm no expert when it comes to bills. The more hours you fly, the less the maintenance per hour costs are for a standard routine annual inspection, but then the more hours you fly = larger fuel costs. So you can't always win. Only fly when you need and accept that the bill for those 50 hours seems standard.

Please correct me if I seem that I look at it a different way to others. KP.

[bluesafari]

KP,
I think you have pretty much got it right, and of course there are the calendar items, the hourly rate seems about right, what that? About £80 Sterling? An LAE will not be cheap, and the last time I did an Annual and associated maintenance it took about two weeks. The turn round time for your bottles will depend if the testing facility is in country or overseas

[Dick Smith]

The good news is that the 109E has slightly lower maintenance costs than the S76 I once owned. It required 3 hours of labour maintenance for each hour of flying if I remember correctly!

[noooby]

The factory at PHilly quotes 120 hours.

But that is for everything up to and including the 400 hour/12 month inspections.

Inspections only though. Any maintenance needed will be added on top of that. And the 50Hr Engine Inspection takes them 15 hours.

If the factory 145 shop can actually do it in those hours, they sound like they're actually pretty good.

[heliduck]

The good news is that the 109E has slightly lower maintenance costs than the S76 I once owned. It required 3 hours of labour maintenance for each hour of flying if I remember correctly!

Cheaper to maintain a 737 than an S76 Dick!!

[noooby]

LOL heliduck!

Mechanics at one place I worked loved the 76 at they said it was job security. Always something to do! Usually with the autopilot on rainy days. Why did they put the autopilot actuators outside?????