Buying & Owning a Piston Helicopter

[lamboman100]

Have any PHers bought and owned -- or looked into buying / owning -- an entry-level piston helicopter in the UK or anywhere in the world for a weekend toy?

Robinson, Enstrom models, etc.

Somewhere in the £50k to 150k range.

Advantages? Problems? Maintenance? Storage? Safety? Reselling? Any other good or bad stuff? Renting better?

Thanks in advance.

Edited by lamboman100 on Monday 2nd June 19:24

[HOGEPH]

Let me be the first to say the mantra, "If it flies, floats or fks, rent it!"

[Steve_D]

Contact Highflyer
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?h=0...

Steve

[Dr G]

I had a taster lesson with a company that run numerous Robinson Rs 22 & 44.

They house them for owners that only use them sporadically and buy hours from them to subsidise the cost of their use and the owners' maintenance bills. There were a few phone numbers involved and a very active 'for sale' board in their reception

These guys:

http://www.hqaviationltd.com/

[Yertis]

lamboman100 said:

Have any PHers bought and owned -- or looked into buying / owning -- an entry-level piston helicopter in the UK or anywhere in the world for a weekend toy?

Robinson, Enstrom models, etc.

Somewhere in the £50k to 150k range.

Advantages? Problems? Maintenance? Storage? Safety? Reselling? Any other good or bad stuff? Renting better?

Thanks in advance.

Edited by lamboman100 on Monday 2nd June 19:24

I personally know two 'measurably successful' people who have bought Robinson helicopters. Both are now bankrupt, and each had a couple of brushes with sudden, violent death in their aircraft.

[lamboman100]

Good stuff, all.

Have posted elsewhere, too, and the consensus seems to be private helicopters will either kill you or your bank balance, or both.

Ongoing costs seem to be "tens of thousands" a year, rising to "six figures" in a bad year when major repairs and servicing collide.

[paintman]

Friend had his own helicopter - I've no idea what make/model etc - which he used in the course of his business as a flying instructor.
A student on his first solo crashed it - fortunately with only minor injuries.
Said friend then rented his helicopters & said it was the best thing that could have happened as it saved him a fortune.

[Geneve]

If you are serious about helicopters then they can be operated viably and safely.

Direct ownership can make financial sense when you are doing about 120hrs + p.a. It's also your helicopter, you know it intimately, it's maintained to your standards and available where and whenever you want it.

It can provide the most perfect means of transport, the most versatile form of flying and a great way to see this country, in a way few other people ever do.

But, it really isn't a case of getting 45hrs training and then the world's your oyster. It requires a sense of discipline, dedication and maintaining very high standards. Most ab initios even ppl(a)s take 60-80 hrs to get the ppl(h) and it is a constant learning process.

Robinsons are popular, but divide opinion. If I was learning I might consider an R44 Raven II, but prefer a Schweizer 300'C' or the new Guimbal G2 Cabri, which is getting rave reviews.

Enstrom pistons are great for learning, but choose the model carefully, some are under-powered and some are dated. The Turbine Enstroms are excellent, if budget allows.

My advice would be to ask the question here http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads-23/ You will get mixed but qualified advice.

[V8 FOU]

Possibly going this route myself. Have a look at Rotorway for a much cheaper way of ownership. Do bear in mind that each type of helicopter needs its own rating - usually 5 hours. So if you train on an R22, that is what you can fly. Alt least that is what I gather from my instructor.

[Lost soul]

Yertis said:

I personally know two 'measurably successful' people who have bought Robinson helicopters. Both are now bankrupt, and each had a couple of brushes with sudden, violent death in their aircraft.

That is how I would imagine ownership

[Penguinracer]

Have a look at these:

http://www.compositehelicopter.com/

The New Zealand experience with R22s is that it's very easy to get them out of their depth. There have been plenty of accidents with these in the Southern Alps as the combined effects of density altitude, orographic waves & severe turbulence have plucked them out of the sky. The investigation into a recent fatal acccident attributed the cause to the main rotor impacting the tail boom in severe tubulence...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/west-coast/9...

Stick with turbine power.

[High flier]

My dad has owned a Hughes 500C, then a Bell Jet Ranger, and then an R44. The R44 was like a badly build kit car in comparison to the Hughes and the Bell, and he hated flying it. Within a month of buying it, it was up for sale.

I can't comment on the running costs, as I had nothing to do with that. They are however, obviously huge.

[S3_Graham]

Pm me if you want more detailed info on the running of a helicopter. I work for a company that manages numerous choppers and jets for private individuals in the London area.