PPRuNe Forums - Md500 Or Jetranger

Horses for courses: Isn't that what they always say?

Choosing between an H-500 and a 206 will come down to personal preference. Which one will be "cheaper" to operate? Heh. Neither. They're turbine helicopters. Bring money. Lots.

I've got a bazillion hours in 206's, so I'm partial. I've flown the 500. Didn't care for it much. Too much time pushing a hydraulically-boosted stick around, I guess. Still, let me try to be objective.

HANDLING: I had to take our 206B to an avionics shop today, about 30 minutes away from Home Base. The airport manager rode along. He's a fixed-wing guy (5K hours or so), who flies a Cessna 210 for a local businessman and who really wants to put a helicopter flight school in at our airport. I put the duals in to let him fly.

I let him try to hover a bit (using just the cyclic), and he couldn't get over how "sensitive" the controls were. To a fixed-wing pilot, it must seem so. Up in cruise flight, he kept commenting on the sensitivity- he was quite astounded by it, actually. I told him that while all helicopters are more responsive than airplanes, there are helicopters that are even more responsive than the 206. Additionally, I told him that some helicopter pilots consider the 206 to be the least responsive of modern helicopters. He couldn't believe that. Is seemed super-sensitive to him.

People say that the H-500 is more "sporty" than a 206. Okay, maybe. And maybe that would be great if you were doing aerobatics or a lot of fancy manuevering - which you kind of try to avoid when you have passengers onboard who aren't named Yeager. So the time I spent in the 500 was just...you know...normal...flying. And thus I wasn't able to appreciate the handling qualities of the aircraft - other than to figure out that I prefer having boosted controls...but again, that comes from a lifetime spent flying helicopters with boosted controls.

Flying an H-500 "normally" is like driving a Ferrari...on city streets. Yeah, the sportscar accelerates and stops great, and it can change lanes like a mofo, but you can't really take advantage of the performance. It's why I ride a Harley and not a sportbike motorcycle. Sportbikes are great - on the track - but on city streets, where I do 110% of my riding they do not offer a superlative riding experience. (Sorry, they just don't.) Same with the 500. Your mileage (and handling) may vary.

FUEL BURN: If you do nothing but point-to-point flying, then yes the H-500 will burn less fuel in the long run because you get there quicker. But for a private owner, there'll be a lot of sightseeing and just farting around...pleasure flying. And the fuel burns for the two ships will be the same.

OPERATING COST: My boss bought his 206B three years ago. In that time, we've put on just shy of 600 hours. Other than Annual inspections and the required TT strap replacement every two years, we've had no significant unscheduled maintenance. As for the straps: $12,000, or $6,000 per year. If you fly 200 hours per year that comes to $30 per flight hour. (Heh, maybe you'll fly more than 200 hours per year, but I doubt it.) The key will be buying the best aircraft with the best remaining component times. Don't buy something that's going to need new turbine wheels or new main rotor blades next year. Cost of operation will be a wash.

Oh, and don't believe people who tell you that the engine in an H-500 will "last longer" because it's stressed less or something. Component lives are component lives. Treat your engine well (don't overtemp it or abuse it) and the components will go to TBO or retirement in both ships.

LOAD CARRYING: Our 206B weighs 1850 - figure 1900 with a cooler. With me, the boss, his friend and their wives, we usually have 900 pounds in the cabin, for a GW of 2800. That leaves 400 more pounds for fuel and bags. 400 pounds of gas is nearly 60 gallons! You won't need that much because believe me, 5 people do not want to be in a 206B
for more than about 45 minutes to an hour, MAX.

Needless to say, when we put 5 in our ship we need a lot of room to take off - no confined-area stuff. Luckily, we operate out of my boss's hunting camp where I have a good, unobstructed site.

In my experience, passengers always have "stuff" they take with them. Women take handbags, men have briefcases. It's nice to be able to put that stuff in the big 206 baggage compartment rather than under a seat or in a lap. Plus, I always carry a lightweight aluminum ladder and a little plastic bin with an extra quart of oil and some window cleaning supplies. When I leave the 206 overnight at an airport or someplace away from Home Base, I lock the Garmin 496 GPS and the headsets in the baggage compartment. Try doing that with your 500.

So again, it comes down to personal preference. Which one do you like more? Obviously, I'd recommend getting a 206. Yes, the 500 is more "sporty" but you give up a lot of flexibility for that sportiness - which you may or may not ever use unless you're into putting on impromptu airshows. If you absolutely, positively have to have a turbine, that's one thing. If not, just go with an R-44. It's a lot of bang for the buck.