wrote in
:


I have seen flying used R22's as low as $25K. I think you should look
around before spending $120-$140K on one. New, they go for about
$180K the last I checked. There is a 1200 hour major service that
costs about $80K to do. I hear it involves relplacing a lot of
expensive parts such as the main gearbox, rotor blades, etc.

The reason they are more money than a prop plane is because there is a
lot more to them and also because of product liability insurance. Its
a lot easier to get in trouble with a helicopter than a fixed wing.
And to add further insult to injury, fixed wings usually can carry a
great deal more cargo weight and get better mileage too.


A brand new R-22 with the common options (aux fuel, com, transponder,
GPS, and cabin heat) costs $176K. At 2200 hours or 12 years (whichever
comes first) it has to be overhauled. The factory will do this for about
$95K. It will then look and fly like new and be good for another 2200
hours or 12 years. The second time it costs a little more to overhaul
because a few more components are scrapped (tail boom, part of the frame,
etc). A run-out late model is worth somewhere in the $40k range. The
value of a new one goes down from $176k to $40k pretty much in a
straight-line fashion based on how much time it has until overhaul. Of
course there is some variation due to appearance, maintenance history,
and how it was used.
The overhaul, by the way, is not optional.