advice pls R66 or 480B or 206Biii
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: new zealand
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Sorry for slow response! havent checked in for a while...
I havent operated a 206 so am unable to offer direct comparison information. The 206 is best as a helicopter work-horse with excellent lift and hover capability, but quite a bit slower. Slower = longer flight times = greater cost per leg though... For all helicopters, faster flights should be cheaper to operate since costs are "per hour".
A very large part of the total cost of ownership is in the cost of capital and the insurance. You can beat this if you are prepared to trade, since the market price - esp for 120s - can move up & down sufficiently - also the US $$ has its own volatility compared to other currencies which gives you another variable to work to your advantage. Obviously, it can work for or against you, so timing is everything!
My operation cost experience with both EC120s was good - no big surprises. ( Avionics was the flukey variable, the airframe/engines were all solid ) Biggest issue for a private operator who only flies 130 hrs per year is that many components hit their calendar life limit before their flight time limit - frustrating to replace parts that are clearly not worn out. These are predictable in advance though.
The marginal operation cost per hour is much much lower than the full replacement cost per hour, so if you time your ownership period to avoid the big engine and airframe inspections your operation cost can be much lower than Conklin & Dekker predict.
Its useful to prepare a full cost forecast including buying, selling, exchange rates estimate, market shift estimate, hours for your operation, and assess each individual helicopter ( with their own hours/calendar profile ) in that model. For me, the buying & selling circumstances were far more significant than the marginal hourly operation cost.
I havent operated a 206 so am unable to offer direct comparison information. The 206 is best as a helicopter work-horse with excellent lift and hover capability, but quite a bit slower. Slower = longer flight times = greater cost per leg though... For all helicopters, faster flights should be cheaper to operate since costs are "per hour".
A very large part of the total cost of ownership is in the cost of capital and the insurance. You can beat this if you are prepared to trade, since the market price - esp for 120s - can move up & down sufficiently - also the US $$ has its own volatility compared to other currencies which gives you another variable to work to your advantage. Obviously, it can work for or against you, so timing is everything!
My operation cost experience with both EC120s was good - no big surprises. ( Avionics was the flukey variable, the airframe/engines were all solid ) Biggest issue for a private operator who only flies 130 hrs per year is that many components hit their calendar life limit before their flight time limit - frustrating to replace parts that are clearly not worn out. These are predictable in advance though.
The marginal operation cost per hour is much much lower than the full replacement cost per hour, so if you time your ownership period to avoid the big engine and airframe inspections your operation cost can be much lower than Conklin & Dekker predict.
Its useful to prepare a full cost forecast including buying, selling, exchange rates estimate, market shift estimate, hours for your operation, and assess each individual helicopter ( with their own hours/calendar profile ) in that model. For me, the buying & selling circumstances were far more significant than the marginal hourly operation cost.
