A 206 or a 500D? Which is right for the job?

[Squeaks]

Since the operation is in Oz, and there is a dearth of Gazelles in the Southern Hemisphere, I'd suggest that's a non starter

The 206 will give the best entry level turbine for a start up operation in Australia, without a doubt. Predictable DOC's, reliable (if you look after it, but that goes for any helicopter) and able to turn to almost any charter/aerial work task.

Squirrel is nicer, but the operational costs and the poor factory support would kill the operation stone dead unless you have a 3+ year-set-in-stone contract that actually makes a profit

[spinwing]

Krypton,

Vested interests there for sure..... I've spent some time in a Gazelle ....loverly to fly no doubt about it ...BUT NOT for aerial work in Australia.

Fuel consumption alone close to 40Gal (200l)/hr is in excess of the Jet Ranger.

Parts and Maintenance here will make your eyes water!!!!

Might be a great machine for rich men in the UK but NOT for Oz consumption.

[Hughes500]

Dont touch a gazelle, they are very expensive to maintain, Turbomeca no longer supports the engine. Last engine overhaul about £ 150k for 1700 hour life. Drinks fuel like its going out of fashion. Unless it is a stretched one back seats worse than a 500 in terms of legroom. One I fly for a customer just spent months and months and about £37 for a new clutch.
Incidentally dont expect to put 5 people and a full tank in a 206 and get it off the ground !!
SASless how do you work out the 500 burns more fuel ? Both have a C20B engine unless the 500 has had a C20R retrofitted. Having had both, at 100% 206 about 110 - 120 ltrs /hr an hour 110 kt cruise. 500D 75 psi 130 plus again 110 ltrs an hour so 500 will use less fuel by nearly 20% on any journey.

[RoToR_V8D]

Another to the mix...

OK. It seems that if the work were predominantly 'A' to 'B', the 500 would have lower running cost from a fuel consumption point of view.

If planning to do more 'on station' work (ENG, slinging in short hops... ) or tourism flights (where the distance travelled isn't important, just the time in the air), the B206 would have lower fuel consumption costs.

All down to SGR for the consumption side of the house - but then fuel is only part of the equation.

Waiting to hear back on insurance cost differentials on both types. Seems we can get either platform serviced locally without heartache.

Now, I received an email from the Enstrom chaps and had a look at the website. I had always put Enstrom in a bucket with the R22s and R44s - only, less popular.

Their 480B, with the C20W? Tons of space, tons of visibility for everyone, three bladed main, more TR Auth than either the 206 or 500, 536kg useful load, MAUW IGE 12,300', MAUW OGE 5,400', same speeds as a B206, cheaper to acquire, cheaper to operate, etc, etc. It can be fitted with pop-out floats, cargo hook (pilot flies from the left seat like the 500 ), searchlights etc. Max range at MAUW/3000' is 355nm or 4.5hrs endurance to tanks dry, which is also impressive. The engine is de-rated by almost 25%, so it has full power to 13,000' or 120 degrees F (good for Australia ).

To me this Heli would seem to be an AS350 with more room, more versatility, fewer parts issues, and much, much lower costs across the board.

Have I stumbled onto a winner, or am I stumbling down a rabbit hole? I'ld be keen to hear from anyone with experience on type? Am I missing anything? This platform would seem very well suited as an alternative...

[RoToR_V8D]

Gazelles

I had a mate flying Gazelles in Hong Kong. Swears by them for load lift, but you just can't get them down here. I didn't kno they were that thristy either

[EN48]

Have I stumbled onto a winner, or am I stumbling down a rabbit hole? I'ld be keen to hear from anyone with experience on type? Am I missing anything? This platform would seem very well suited as an alternative...

I recently took delivery of a new Enstrom 480B and so far it has not disappointed in any respect. See my posts in the Rotorheads Enstrom Corner (Page 10,11) for more details. One potential issue for you may be support. I have had superb support, from both the factory and dealer, but I am based only 60 miles from the largest dealer in the U.S (if not in the world.) There are only about 130 or so of these manufactured to date, so you wont find parts and support on every street corner. I also considered the 206 and R44 among others, and the 480B won by quite a margin. A new similarly equipped 206 would have been about 2X the price of the Enstrom in terms of acquisition cost, and I would expect parts and support to be much less for the 480. Operating costs (dominated by fuel) are more similar due to using essentially the same engine.

IMHO, the 480B and R44 are so different as to make comparison meaningless. The 44 is more of a "minimalist" design with what appears to be just enough "beef" to hold eveything together. The 480 design comes across as much more robust.

http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/190...om-corner.html

[krypton_john]

EN48, how are the DOCs working out? The Enstrom figures were about $250/hr if I recall correctly - is that close?

[EN48]

EN48, how are the DOCs working out? The Enstrom figures were about $250/hr if I recall correctly - is that close?

Hard to say with reliability. So far (55 hours) the only out of pocket cost has been fuel, averaging about $4.90/gal. At an average burn of 160 lbs/hour, this is $117 per hour. Have added 1/2 qt of oil in this time. Insurance premium is about 4.5% of hull value. ( I am a low time helicopter pilot, but insure under the factory sponsored program, so this is probably typical. My quote on 206 insurance was 7% of hull value.) And I own the hangar.

Like the 206, the E480B has TT straps which must be replaced every two years at about $10,000 regradless of time or condition.

I did have a generator relay that became sticky, but this was replaced instantly under warranty at no cost other than the fuel to fly to the shop.

I wasnt aware of Enstrom's estimate but it seems realistic or perhaps even on the high side for a newer acft.

[krypton_john]

Here's the link I found:
http://www.sharkeys.com/New480Cost2007.pdf

Their fuel cost matches you pretty close!

[EN48]

Sharkeys is perhaps the world expert on the 480 outside the factory. Note that fuel prices per gallon are up about 20% since this analysis was prepared.

[krypton_john]

What's the baggage compartment like? No chance of fitting golf clubs in there I suppose?

[EN48]

What's the baggage compartment like? No chance of fitting golf clubs in there I suppose?

It might be done if the bag is on the slim side. (Some golf bags I have seen seem large enough to live in!)The baggage box is actually reasonably large but has an odd shape, so careful packing is essential. Rated at 150 lbs IIRC. There in an option called a baggage box extension which extends farther into the tail cone, but is limited to 50 lbs max weight. This in combination with the standard baggage box would likely accomodate a set of golf clubs, perhaps two. (I am not a golfer so its a wild guess on my part.)