Why fly when you can beat the air into submission?

The DPE from when I did my multi-engine rating is also well known as being the area's big helicopter guy. At the request of some viewers, I decided to try and get the numbers on a typical private helicopter.  Oh my.

I present to you the "Affordable" Bell 47.

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia User: Meggar



Anyone looking for a DPE in the South Wisconsin area, I highly recommend Chris Anderson. His checkride was thorough but fair, and although I wasn't taught anything during the practical I still learned quite a bit during the ride when he posed a few scenarios I hadn't previously thought about and was required to respond.

Anyways, on to the helicopter!  The Bell 47 is considered by many to be the Cessna 172 of the helicopter fleet. Used by civilians and foreign militaries, this two seater really is one of the affordable entry-level helos out there.  It has an average asking price of $95,000 for used and airworthy.  However, where an airplane's flight characteristics hinge on only a few simple moving parts which generally operate independent of each other, a helicopter is a ballet of machinery where all it takes is one bad actor to spoil the scene. If you intend to buy one, you need to have a very knowledgeable A&P with expertise in this specific model. Otherwise you can expect to nearly double the labor estimates in this post.

Not only will a good A&P know the mechanics of this particular model, but they'll be well versed in the sea of paperwork involved in helicopter records.

To quote Chris, "Buying a helicopter is the cheapest part of owning [one]."

Let's start with the annual.  Assuming nothing is wrong, the base-rate inspection on a Bell 47 will run about $4,000 (40 hours of labor, so being an A&P in this case is a very good thing).  The parts are very expensive, too. If you find at annual that your main rotor blades have reached their service life limit, new blades will cost about $15,000 to overhaul on the wood rotors (note: this isn't a recommended time between overhauls, a service limit means it is mandatory; also they're no longer available so eventually you'll have to go to the metal rotors).  If you have the metal rotors then expect to spend $50,000 every 5,000 hours: they're service-life limited and can only be rebuilt (no overhauls). Simple root-end repairs which are common for former agricultural planes will run about $6,500. Ag birds spend a lot of time kicking up debris, which is a great way to beat up your blades, just think about a fixed-wing on a gravel taxiway.

The Bell 47 Chris flew was powered by a Lycoming VO-435 which had an overhaul time of 1200 hours, as does the airframe itself. The engine and airframe overhaul will typically run a combined cost of $125,000. If you're willing to go through the paperwork required and use mid-life parts, that cost can sometimes be brought down to about $80,000.

Any key item to owning a Bell 47 is insurance. While I was able to get ample quotes regarding airplane insurance during my research for other posts, this one was extremely difficult.  In fact, I wasn't able to find anyone who would even quote me the insurance costs, so I'll have to go by the experience of others.  Liability-only coverage for this aircraft (No Hull Coverage)  costs right around $6,000 per year.  Add hull coverage for commercial/instructional flights makes the Insurance Coverage $20,000 per Year.

Close-up view of the Bell 47G

Operating Costs with Minimum Maintenance Reserve: $223/hour

• $10.00 New main rotor after 4,000 hours
• $3.50 Tail rotor rebuild after 4,000 hours
• $105 Engine and Airframe overhaul after 1,200 hours
• $90 15gph fuel burn at $6.00/gal
• $3 Quart of oil every 2 hours (not uncommon, so let's figure it in)
• $2 Oil change every 25 hours
• $9 Rotor grease job every 12 hours (or after being flown in the rain)

Fixed Costs Broken Down Monthly: $3130/month

• $335 Annual Inspection
• $1,675 Insurance
• $400 Hangar (You will definitely want to protect your asset with a hangar on this one)
• $720 If you financed this aircraft with 10% down for 6% interest over 15 years

Rental: The Bell 47G will typically cost $500/hr wet.
When you look at the breakdown of costs for this two-seater, that is not a bad price for renting; in this case the renter definitely comes out ahead. We didn't even account for any of the potential premature maintenance items. 

Sometimes the real cost of ownership can be eye-opening like my Piper Apache; other times it can help us realize the dream isn't as far off as we though like in my Affordable Plane article.  Then there are cost analysis like this which can put into perspective just how diverse General Aviation can truly be.  From the Piper Cub owner who likes to putt around the pattern for $15/hour all the way to the Bell 47 owner who paid a mortgage equivalent to a $500,000 home without flying a single hour.  There's a place in aviation for everyone, you just have to find it.

Have a Great Day everyone!
Steven