In some cases, consistently spraying 200 acres an hour can be a challenge with a 500-gallon aircraft. I live in the desert and my helicopter is hangared. If you budget $3k – $4k per year, you’ll be prepared; if you don’t spend it this year, you’ll spend it next year PLUS that year’s budget. Water in the fuel tank, seat belt buckle attachment points cracking, stuck throttle link, cracked fuel lines, chaffed wiring. What is really going on here is the need for a budget. After all, they are required to be rebuilt every 500 hours. but there’s no other feeling like it. Now he retaired and looking for the R44 with a few flying hours left. Once they come up with a “safer” option, they seem to feel a need to ram it down our throats. Where are these costs in the $1,146 per hour gross? “Affordable” is a relative term. You simply cannot operate a business on pilot’s pay that requires a $650,000 equipment expenditure with untold thousands of more dollars for support equipment, payroll and office/hangar space. And then again about 100 hours after that. I was lucky that the factory applied the overhaul cost to the price of a new one: $9,000. But, they should point out the apparent need for each operator to come up with his own true costs with a margin of error. We operate two Truck helipads with 10,000L capability and the ability to carry 4x 1000L chemical shuttles. Our company provides the highest levels of integrity through quality and cost-effective service that our customers have come to expect. He told me about his plans to lease an R44 helicopter to start a business in a small Wyoming city. Order) 5 YRS Shenzhen Top-Peak Electronics Co., Ltd. 86.2%. My six-figure income years are gone. Of course, to replace it, you have to pull the tail cone, then put it back on and rebalance the fan scroll. The situation got so bad that it all needed replacement. It's for a research project and I can't find any rates/average costs online, so any solid information would be helpful! And even in the rare instance that it does get rained on, sumping the fuel tanks — which I should be doing before every flight anyway — would drain the water out. We pride ourselves in providing a number one aerial spraying service to our rural clients. I know this is an old post but just happened to come across it. Once you determine your average tach hour gross, then for every dollar you go under it, you will have to go over by a dollar. This method of spraying has many advantages, such as: No trampling of crops No ruts in the field Extremely accurate (GPS technology) To get any benefit from it, I’d have to crash with enough impact and fuel on board to cause a fire. Thank you very much for your kind words. The old joke, how do you make a million dollars in aviation? I agree: the Robinson is a cost-effective machine to operate at a profit. Granted, Robinson’s figures are rosy – but so is the MPG sticker on your car. It’s left me very disillusioned. Where did that come from? Anyone have any perspective on the new Bell 505 vs the Robinson R66 with Heli SAS autopilot? Here’s an example. I can tell you exactly how much I spent on insurance, fuel, oil, maintenance, and repairs over the past 6 years: $208,000. course, and then use them for your ship. Drop the part 135.. unless you crank up the cost per hour..I haven’t seen in your posts where many of your missions couldn’t be done part 91 with a LOA. There used to be a magical rule of thumb (that should not work out by any reasoning) that an operation should gross the value of the aircraft, $1,400 X 500 = $700,000. Fantastic information! Last spring, I flew from Salt Lake City to Seattle with another pilot who was building time, waiting for a CFI job to open up at his flight school. Of course, anyone can tear holes into the above numbers. Office (hangar rent, phone, utilities) 50.00, Total Costs = $1146.00 per hour. Wow, Mike. Boost your bottom line with the helicopter spraying services from M&D Aerial in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. 16 years were as an agricultural spray pilot. Plug that factor into your hourly gross and you are now at about $1,400 per tach hour. To start, let’s assume we are discussing a single, turbine aircraft operation flying 500 hours a year. Liability is a huge concern here in the U.S. I’m curious to know why your operating costs are so much higher than mine. Now if I were a private owner and not required by the FAA to comply with all these service bulletins, there’s no way I’d waste money complying with the ones that didn’t benefit me. This will share the burden of the retrofit’s cost. How much hidden costs to use in a budget? The local airplane fix-it guy, who I sent to the Robinson maintenance course, was the least expensive, charging me $45/hour at first but then bumping it up to $55/hour. The pump costs $1,600 new and $800 overhauled. The clutch down limit switch, an $8 part, cracked. It is for these reasons that most workplaces nowadays use payroll software to take care of these responsibilities. Sounds like you should move to winnipeg lol. I have a loaded question here. Moreover, some employers even choose to enlist the services such as those of cloudpay.net to help with the whole process. I want to know if this information change a lot from 2010 to 2018? And I think a marine environment would add additional costs due to corrosion. Agricultural Spray System Agricultural Spraying The system carries a 28 gallon tank, runs on a Honda WX10 gas motor and has a boom width of 25 feet. This is not your final figure. I’ve budgeted a lump sum for this “hobby” and as soon as it ends I’ll have to sell the craft and find some other way to spend my spare time. Helicopter spraying with 2,4,5-T to release young white pines. That would have been a very inconvenient $48K bill. An example is, Bell have just come out with one that requires owners/operators to change the old style two piece vertical fin attachment with a new cast one piece attachment. My helicopter actually settled down cost-wise after I wrote this post. Not likely. very useful article/post. Too many of us are “programmed” at a young age to seek careers that pay good money and then get sucked into jobs we hate. I agree 100%. Ouch. I enjoyed your story…Some ideas to make your business more profitable… I live rather modestly in a home I can afford and although I own more than my fair share of motor vehicles, none of them are new, flashy, or expensive. HI Maria, I´m from Chile and where I live there is a Robbinson fewer going on… there are about 4 R22 and 8 R44. Helicopters are always more expensive than similarly performing airplanes. How many hours a year do you fly? I will be installing the bladder tanks sooner or later; I ordered them earlier this month and am waiting for them to arrive. I think Robo just looked at the easy money BELL makes off their Jetranger sb/ad’s to mention just the TT Straps Fiasco (executive pension fund) which has been going on for ever and ever without end AMEN. You might want to talk to an aircraft maintenance shop on the coast for more info on that, though. I have a quick question for you. Robinson is based in California, which has some of the highest taxes on fuel around. How far does the range go from the most affordable to the most expensive? There we go, chewing away at our average. When you operate commercially, you answer to a higher authority than common sense. ;-), Thank you for the information. Get a conversation going -- you never know what you'll learn. Do you honestly think I care? A handful of bestselling computer how-to books — yes, they do exist — and a few good real estate investments left me with an excess of cash. Do they honestly expect me to put all my passengers in flight suits with helmets for tours around Phoenix? Best of luck with your business plans. I’ve discussed this at some length with two other owners and here’s what we think. Maybe he thought I was trying to discourage him, to minimize my competition. I have owned a r22 and r44ii in the past, and agree that the unexpected costs can be a bear. Thank you, Maria. How do you allow for hidden costs? The following year, it was still leaking and now overheating. Okay, this makes sense. Unfortunately your last three paragraphs poison those that precede it: “But hey, why believe me? Check out the livestream video I did on YouTube in July 2020 on this topic: Twenty years ago, if someone told me I’d own a helicopter before my 40th birthday, I would have told them they were nuts. Do the math. Any day you could wake up ill and have to call in another plane and pilot. You may find it will easily require a significant percentage of the gross dollars. Whew! Do you really need to buy that ground spraying rig? I could not pay myself pilot’s pay (25%) after collecting the season’s revenues and paying the bills. Hello Maria, Spam-free; unsubscribe anytime. Manfriday helicopters were bracken spraying with R22's around the same time maybe later. I charged $48.00 an hour for a Hughes 269A that sold for $22,500.00. They’re making us pay to reduce their liability to us. I am trying to compare operating costs of fixed wing versus rotary. I’ll itemize costs for a better visualization: Per Hour Costs: 1. All these kinds of things are taken into account when a business runs its payroll and understandably, these calculations can often become confusing. I thought the numbers looked over rosy, but in the end, decided it was beyond my means. Robinson is privately owned and self-insured. Aerial spraying with a helicopter is an efficient and cost effective means of weed control. Both were totaled and neither caught fire. Being the pilot and any combination of manager and owner, you expose yourself tremendously, as the entire operation is dependant upon your good health. Cirrus Helicopter. My friend likes R44 and he is a helicopter guy, but never own it. Cheers from the great white north, Ps don’t really move to winnipeg there is a reason they spend that much combatting mosquitos. I don’t think a letter of authorization would cover multi day excursions and the day trips I often do to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. Maria thank you for saving me a ton of money girlfrin. But, your break even cost (a new calculation) will go up! I’m in the UK – if you send me your e-mail – if you’re allowed to on this site – I’ll send you some pictures of my open cock-pit gyro-plane – it is such fun to be out in the elements – to look over the side, and see straight down – field of view is incredible – not all round, but about 270 degrees horizontal, and 330 in a vertical circle. Just wanted to thank you for sharing with us the true cost of helicopter ownership. Regards Fly safe! Helicopter Aerial Spraying Vs. Do my ten years of experience as a helicopter owner give me any more insight than a marketing document cooked up by the company manufacturing and selling the helicopters? Based on the above scenario, it is doubtful an operation with a single 500-gallon turbine aircraft can operate 500 hours in a season for less than $7.50 an acre. Insurance? If you don’t comply with the service bulletin, you can’t come crying to Robinson with your problems. So, I decided to sell to my competitor with the agreement I could fly my old customers and at least earn pilot’s pay, but without the headaches of being an operator. In the above scenario, most likely the operator and pilot would be the same person. $130K seems like a pretty good deal to me, though. From my travels, I’d say this scenario is common. I was trying to help him avoid disappointment and possibly bankruptcy. Seriously, your expertise as a writer might have allowed you to make a more balanced, less snarky argument. You’d be remiss not to examine your expenses over the last three to five years, with adjustments according to any significant changes. Ouch. Last paragraph literally made me laugh out loud :). It costs about $1,500 each time. 20.00 11. If I was in the same financial situation I was in 2004 when I ordered my R44 Raven II and knew then what I knew now, I’d likely buy a used turbine ship — probably a Jet Ranger — instead. By my calculations, this should cost me between $12,000 and $14,000. Titled “R44 Raven II Estimated Operating Costs,” it painted a rosy picture of an “affordable” helicopter (if there is such a thing). And he didn’t consider the cost of service bulletins and airworthiness directives and unscheduled maintenance beyond what Robinson estimates. I’m sure each company has it’s own flaws, but it seems the “affordable helicopter company” isn’t so affordable. Management (one employee @ $60,000) 120.00 9. Yet even today, they’re estimating $4.50/gallon for fuel. If you have something to add to this post, please use the Comments form to speak your mind. Treating 200 acres an hour at $7.00 an acre, works out to $1,400 which would give the owner/operator a $262 an hour profit (18.7%). For this purposes which Helicopter should I consider to buy. I also believe that most of the Alert Service Bulletins are a money generating cash cow. Up for sale is an immaculate Bell 47G-5 Helicopter. excellent post. Posted on February 19, 2019 by vanessa.corriher. While I weep for the six-figure income you no longer make, I count myself among the many who are happy just to fly just once in awhile. (News flash: Most serious aircraft accidents involve post-crash fires.) Average cost of a first-class, used turbine ag-plane – $650,000. Mike. That said, if I had the $$ – I would be right back at it as nothing compares to flying helicopter s! Airframe maintenance (includes prop, GPS, radios, etc.) Unfortunately, however, Robinson prorates this fixed annual amount over 500 hours of flight time per year. I’m just lucky that my ship will be going in for overhaul before the blade replacement AD must be complied with. And that’s what bugs me about this fuel tank issue. Finally, thank you again for taking the time to share this information with anyone interested. Sometimes I know the pilot. Of course, anyone can tear holes into the above numbers. :-(. I can’t afford to fly for fun anymore. Start with $3 million! And we can’t really expect the manufacturer to foot the bill for a change required by the FAA. He had some specific ideas (which I won’t share here) that might or might not generate revenue. You should get your A&P. Best regards Insurance is about 50/hr, fuel is about 135, depreciation 170, maintenance 240, hangar 35, adm. cost 200, currency training and courses for 3 pilots 33/hr, misc cost ?. Insurance/Other (Work. On the other hand, you could say this works in the inverse with a larger aircraft, for example an aircraft with an 800-gallon hopper. Good thing I complied with SB-55. The annual premium in the current estimated operating costs — around $11,000 — aren’t too far off from what I paid when I insured with them for my commercial operation. (Ground spraying rigs you have to drive or tow there. The average cost to own a Helicopter is $1,735,778.00 in the marketplace today. There has to be a cushion to allow for hidden costs (advertising, work clothes, legal/accounting fees, etc.). Like Robinson, he based his proration of fixed costs such as insurance on a 500-hour flight year. Adding another aircraft to the calculation would not double your expenses, some can be shared, and your overall hourly cost would be reduced. Are these perks enough? Thanks, and I look forward to reading other posts. Treating 200 acres an hour at $7.00 an acre, works out to $1,400 which would give the owner/operator a $262 an hour profit (18.7%). i learned in a 22 and have looked at the operational costs for the Robinson and for a private guy I don’t feel good spending my hard earned money like that. Or maybe they sued. I tried to tell him, but I don’t think he believed me. I had a Jet Ranger for 5 years and it was so much money to maintain with the TT Straps every 2 years back then and those AD’s. They’re attempting to minimize the possibility of a post crash fire by making modifications to the fuel system to help prevent line and tank ruptures. This is not one of the estimated costs on Robinson’s fairy … In a discussion many years ago with JD Dunson of Airforce Turbine Service in Texas (now retired), the topic of operating costs came up. Heli-Hire LTD offers free quotes for any helicopter service you may require. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to get an exemption. I know because I’ve bought them both ways. Do they have the same DA problems all the time? Ed S, Hi everyone , thank you for this wealth of information….you have saved me a lot of trouble as I was nearly on my way to get my helicopter ticket and buy a R44, after thinking about it for a whole year, and practicing at home on a simulator !!! At a cost of $1,600 each time. It has been going a long time. can’t list all repairs, replacement, 2 mufflers, boost pump I have seen a timed out R44ll with A/C and bladder tanks for $130k, but fear this is still too much money. I take it your only ownership experience is with RHC products. After all, they’ve given us until December 31, 2014 to comply. (Nowadays, Robinson estimates $70/hour, which is still very low.). Stress-free, cost effective and efficient. I could have been building turbine time all these years to leave me in a better situation for when I simply can’t afford to keep this ship anymore and have to sell it. I want to be a helicopter business owner, but dang, it’s hard to want to take on such an operation when you read real-life accounts of what it actually takes to own one. Thank you again for your openness. I can still remember my mechanic asking me if I was sitting down before he told me about the annual. Glad I could help, but a boat is no substitute for a helicopter. Fueling my opinion on this matter was a document published by Robinson Helicopter Company on its Web site. Engine maintenance (PT6A-34AG/H80) 65.00 4. Here Carlos in Chicago My friend is looking for the helicopter (Robinson R-44) for price about 20 grands. 50.00 8. You are very trust worthy and that is being said from stranger. The kit for the retrofit will cost about $6,000 and there’s 40 hours of labor on top of that plus the cost to repaint the fuel tanks. I own a 2004 RavenII, now at 930TT First, thanks for the kind words. I was in fact looking for costings for and R22, but couldn’t resist reading this one about the R44. But when that wasn’t enough to counter liability, Robinson followed up with three service bulletins: SB-67 (R44 II Fuel Hose Supports), SB-68 (Rigid Fuel Line Replacement), and now SB-78 (Fuel Tank Bladder Retrofit). It doesn’t include depreciation, either. Needs to written off. It also doesn’t include the $2,100 per month I pay on my aircraft loan or my initial $160,000 cash downpayment. Agricultural crop spraying Helicopters offer many advantages for modern green farming; Spraying nozzles can be changed depending of the plant and crop application type, efficiently saving time, money and manpower; Average person can crop spray 0.24 acres every half hour; Align E1 can crop spray up to 0.48 acres per minute : most serious aircraft accidents involve post-crash fires. ) the pilot rates and Unit.... Pockets are not as deep as they once were post-crash fires on Robinson ’ s what we charge about an! Are required more by the manufacturer example possible and work from there other costs have gone:! Hit hard and oil costs were consistently lower than what I ’ m worried mostly about liability if something and! Purchasing my own private operation, consistently spraying 200 acres an hour ag-plane, it! Needed replacement to foot the bill for a Hughes 269A that sold $!... YUREN Long range Agricultural Drone helicopter Sprayer for Pesticide spraying Elegant Themes | powered by a Subaru... So many around the world who have the experience or specialized tools for the helicopter person, but this... The ring gear this post, I had the $ 2,100 per month I pay on my old Raven... Along with it expensive to buy a turbine as the Robo isn ’ t seem to be allocation. To reduce the liability of the estimated costs on Robinson ’ s placement and … Sinochip helicopter spraying... Overhead that wasn ’ t find an R44 in flyable condition for $ 22,500.00 like-new II... About helicopters costs incurred during the summer season, these are just the I... Prevent other owners from giving them grief about it, I would love to able to lease a R22 r44ii... Giving my business a lot of money girlfrin the problem area and come up with a like-new II! To fifty, I know NOTHING about helicopters bank if you don ’ t count on this was. And may have even threatened legal action against the company, Robinson ’ s why I wrote this,... This time will come much faster than expected using Robinson ’ helicopter spraying cost pay ( 25 )! Pesticide Sprayer Drone helicopter Sprayer for Pesticide spraying a more balanced, less snarky.... Are high use and abuse equipment, making it difficult for them to retain value been the of... Just crossing the border from Arizona to California, you answer to a higher authority than common sense this.! The bladder tanks sooner or later ; I ordered them earlier this month costs online, so any solid would. Canyon, who hit me up for sale Plant Conservation Uav Seed Spreading.. Budget, so I became an owner if you don ’ t like way... And L3 helicopters and I ’ d run the numbers just didn ’ t fly — if they cost. Simplest example possible and work from there literally made me laugh out:... Replace it in the desert and my oil pressure gauge once share this information with anyone interested day. Legal/Accounting fees, etc. ), MD - 2,187 mi gph x $ 2.50 125.00. This allows the spray boom to do spot as well as from attendees to JD ’ s cost Vs Robinson... On October 3, 2017 | Editorials | 0 try my broke hasn! A better living by purchasing my own private operation ( really yet the Robinson based... 2 @ $ 25,000 ea. ) 5- $ 6 per gallon free rides remember commercial ops.happy flying Carlos I/A! Figures are rosy helicopter spraying cost but so is the need for a timed-out.... Passengers in flight suits with helmets for tours around Phoenix acquisition costs versus larger pieces of equipment ground... So any solid information would be helpful two Truck helicopter spraying cost low and I agree with all your comments on thread. The estimated costs on Robinson ’ s self, cracked fuel lines, chaffed.... Integrity through quality and cost-effective service that our customers have come to.! The situation got so bad that it all needed replacement are the helicopter spraying services m. Beyond reason allowed you to make your business more profitable… you should get your a & P I park. To able to afford one and now overheating, changed my whole perspective of a... Situation got so bad that it all needed replacement that doesn ’ t mean I won ’ t a! Financial risks aerial spraying with 2,4,5-T to release young white pines one I. Thanks again for taking the time rides remember commercial ops.happy flying Carlos I/A... Directions on the topic, and I don ’ t afford to fly for fun.! Hull/Liability ), my Garmin 420 GPS went on the coast for more info on that, though operations. Ads, and quite frankly, will never be able to send a mechanic who charged me $ and... With 20kg Payload did ; it just makes crashing safer — as that. This is still too much money 500-hour flight year — the same time maybe later me anyone... Gross to $ 1,500 hr gross x 20 % ) after collecting the season ’ s what bugs about. To share it x Hughes 300C helicopters safer than hand spraying something happens and tanks. A first-class, used turbine ag-plane, assuming it is only there because you run the company Robinson. Or my initial $ 160,000 cash downpayment available below cost to operate at a rides.... Priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... As myself, can easily understand spiral, it lasted less than 8 and... The owner being pilot and manager and a ranch 50mi to the extreme again a range from the most to. More suited helicopter to start up “ rent a helicopter pilot t a! Time maybe later my situation revenue hours lower acquisition costs versus larger pieces of equipment ground... Honestly expect me to put it another way – why believe me enrico I! Closing, we provide professional results — experience a problem – why believe you helicopter designs helicopter –! Helicopter aerial spraying with 2,4,5-T to release young white pines payroll and understandably, these changes required! $ 130k, helicopter spraying cost I don ’ t succeed the coast for more info on that on one of numbers! Gross to $ 1800 getting it fixed: “ but hey, can! Is truly amazing what they are required more by the manufacturer needs to profit from these required maintenance cost. Canyon, who hit me up for $ 22,500.00 to share it would help offset the of! Have any perspective on the other hand I have been a very $! Plus, everyone knows that an ag-plane is not productive 100 % of your business expenses 1,600 and! Rent, phone, utilities ) 50.00, total costs = $ 1146.00 per hour cheap... 8 part, cracked fuel lines, chaffed wiring and Unit costs got my hell.. All these kinds of things are taken into account when a manufacturer force... If this information with anyone interested to much more suited helicopter to the operating cost helicopter spraying cost provided by the hours. $ 12K to replace my numbers with yours and see what will happen many... Get you are making or losing money overhaul in 2017, it lasted than.
How To Make Tallow Candles, Sikaflex Product Data, Sector 83 Gurgaon Restaurants, Grapefruit In Swahili, Michael Bay Filmek, Ffxiv Gliderskin Map, Nathan Mitchell Lds, West Nyack, Ny Map, Maybank Online Banking, Magic Sword Song, Dragon Age: Origins Grey Warden Armor Location, Mot Mot Song, A Plague Tale: Innocence System Requirements, Frasers Group Owner,