Whats the average cost of a intro helicopter flight?

[setlab]

Right now I'm just a few hours shy of getting my fixed wing PPL and since putting together a military WOFT packet I'm a little curious what it would be like to fly a helicopter. What are the average rental fees for a smaller helicopter like?

[MadbomberEOD]

Right now I'm just a few hours shy of getting my fixed wing PPL and since putting together a military WOFT packet I'm a little curious what it would be like to fly a helicopter. What are the average rental fees for a smaller helicopter like?

 

I took an intro flight the other day for $199 (R44). I would suggest you ask to ensure you know what is exactly included in the intro flight. I sat down, had a 1/2 conversation with the owner about the program, had another 1/2 hr conversation with the CFI and the owner and then had about 15-20min of basic ground school prior to our flight. The flight we had was about 15 min worth and I felt a little screwed on the amount of flight time but it was my own fault for not asking what it included. I don't know if it is standard for an intro flight or not but......

 

I have seen them run around $199-$300 or have seen an extended flight for about 399-450 but I'm not real sure what is included in them.

 

Sorry if this is a second post, had computer issues earlier.

[setlab]

Outch, I would have thought $200 would get you at least an hour in the air.

[Pogue]

Outch, I would have thought $200 would get you at least an hour in the air.

R-22 time seems to average around $250/hr with instructor at the moment. I think most of the larger schools will charge for 1 hour of flight, and you'll get 1 hour plus 45 minutes to an hour of ground. Ask around because you never know when someone will have a 'special', but by all means ask how much flight time you'll get.

[Trans Lift]

Yeah Madbomber, you got robbed. $200 should have gotten you at least half an hour in the 44.

[MadbomberEOD]

Yeah Madbomber, you got robbed. $200 should have gotten you at least half an hour in the 44.

 

 

Yeah, I was excited to get into a helicopter and didn't ask what all the $199 entailed. Like I said earlier. My fault for not asking. Did get a bit at the stick other than the demonstrated auto so I was still very happy. I thought the auto was going to drop altitude alot faster than what it did. Kind of a WTF moment (that's it!?) and I laughed.

[Auto-Rotation-Nation]

any idea about the charges @skyhelicopter in Garland, Tx? I'm thinking about starting with them and I may just have to give them a call here in a few days.

[Azhigher]

Depends on the school and how long you are actually in the air. At my old school $255 got you an hour in the air in a 22. After the flight the CFI would answer any questions you had and chit chat with ya for a bit if you wanted.

 

Always ask what exactly the school what is included in the intro, as it varies A LOT from place to place.

[r22butters]

...I thought the auto was going to drop altitude a lot faster than what it did. Kind of a WTF moment (that's it!?) and I laughed.

 

Ya, the R44 glides rather nicely. If you want a quick drop, try an S300.

 

When I took my intro flight in the R22, it was $100 for a half hour of flight, and a very basic ground (pretty much just the Awareness Training). I did get to fly once airborne (just the cyclic), as well as a quick go at a hover (almost slammed into a fence!).

[Goldy]

Yeah, I was excited to get into a helicopter and didn't ask what all the $199 entailed. Like I said earlier. My fault for not asking. Did get a bit at the stick other than the demonstrated auto so I was still very happy. I thought the auto was going to drop altitude alot faster than what it did. Kind of a WTF moment (that's it!?) and I laughed.

 

R44's easily rent for $400-$500 an hour and up to $50 for the CFI. So I dont think you got screwed for $199..its an expensive ship. That 20 minutes of ground training that you got was probably the introduction required by SFAR 73.

 

The R22 is half the cost of a 44, but if you're a big guy, it may not be comfortable for you to fly.

[MadbomberEOD]

R44's easily rent for $400-$500 an hour and up to $50 for the CFI. So I dont think you got screwed for $199..its an expensive ship. That 20 minutes of ground training that you got was probably the introduction required by SFAR 73.

 

The R22 is half the cost of a 44, but if you're a big guy, it may not be comfortable for you to fly.

 

Yeah, I'm that guy who needs to cut weight to fly in a 22 to save money but don't see to many people looking to pick up a 6'2 240lb (even if I cut down to 220)dude for their cfi/cfii spots (R22). I may just suck it up and train in a 44 anyway. Diets suck but for that much savings it would be worth it. Not to mention long term (health wise).

[Goldy]

6-2, 240 is nothing for the R22, just have a CFI that is 175 or so..or less.

Personally I would advise you fly with a young female CFI, redhead, about 117 pounds....ok, maybe thats just my personal preference.

 

240 is the per seat weight limit. I know its not easy to climb into, but I'm 6-5 and I still pack in now and then and fly an R22.

[MadbomberEOD]

6-2, 240 is nothing for the R22, just have a CFI that is 175 or so..or less.

Personally I would advise you fly with a young female CFI, redhead, about 117 pounds....ok, maybe thats just my personal preference.

 

240 is the per seat weight limit. I know its not easy to climb into, but I'm 6-5 and I still pack in now and then and fly an R22.

 

 

LOL, That sounds like a great idea.... Anyone know a CFI meeting those pre-req's in Pan Handle Florida?????

 

Thanks Goldy! I was thinking I was going to be S.O.L. on the R22 for a while. Should be able to maintain/lose that no problem

[Trans Lift]

Learn in a 300. I wouldn't go paying all the extra money for a 44. If you can get away with a 22 then thats fine but I would still take a 300 over a 22 for training anyday.

I still think $199 for a 15 min flight is very expensive Goldy. That translates to them charging $800 an hour! Pretty steep.

[r22butters]

Yeah, I'm that guy who needs to cut weight to fly in a 22 to save money but don't see to many people looking to pick up a 6'2 240lb (even if I cut down to 220)dude for their cfi/cfii spots (R22). I may just suck it up and train in a 44 anyway. Diets suck but for that much savings it would be worth it. Not to mention long term (health wise).

 

I flew an Enstrom once (F280C, I believe?), and only $250/hr. They told me it could hold three 200lb people and a full tank of gas. Maybe you should try one?

[Goldy]

I flew an Enstrom once (F280C, I believe?), and only $250/hr. They told me it could hold three 200lb people and a full tank of gas. Maybe you should try one?

 

First, I think you can easily train in an R22 at 220 pounds...just do the math, and you can do flights of 1.0-1.2 with no problem. I agree that training in the R44 is way expensive. For a big guy who doesnt want the R22, then yes, the 300 or 28 series would be great. The advantage (and disadvantage) of the F28C...or A..or C2, is they dont have a correlator or governor, so throttle control is all about you! The 300 certainly is a lot more comfortable than the R22 for a big guy, just that feeling of falling thru the windscreen is a bit odd for me...and the windscreen post blocks my peripheral vision.

 

Certainly, every ship has its pro and con.

 

BTW- To the poster that flew the R44, you should have your intro SFAR sign off and .25 hours dual in that logbook of yours!

[MadbomberEOD]

 

BTW- To the poster that flew the R44, you should have your intro SFAR sign off and .25 hours dual in that logbook of yours!

 

Damn, ok, a second learning point for this intro flight. Get a logbook.

[r22butters]

BTW- To the poster that flew the R44, you should have your intro SFAR sign off and .25 hours dual in that logbook of yours!

 

If you fly Robbies definitely get your endorsements, that damn SFAR can easily "bite you in the ass"! Early on I missed one, and as a result, my first 25hrs in the R44 aren't PIC (instead of just the first 5)!

[heligirl03]

Damn, ok, a second learning point for this intro flight. Get a logbook.

 

Take your logbook back to them and get them to log it for you - It's not a total loss just because you didn't get it logged the same day!

 

edit: If you spent nearly 2hours there with talking, briefing and flying, at $50/hr that's $100 worth of ground time with someone. That leaves $99 for the aircraft time which translates to around $400/hr for that R44. Actually not a bad rate. What does that school charge per hour for dual normally? Wet? Instructor? I never charged for the ground on my demos, which in retrospect was probably a mistake as my time and knowledge must have been worth SOMETHING!

[Goldy]

LOL, That sounds like a great idea.... Anyone know a CFI meeting those pre-req's in Pan Handle Florida?????

 

 

Hmmm, Heligirl03 meets the 117 pound part, just not the red head. Besides, who knows, her CFI days may be over now that she's flying turbines all day long??

 

Take her advice though. Spend the $15 bucks for a log book and get whatever times you paid for in the book. If nothing else, it makes you feel kinda cool to have "logged" time.

Edited February 21, 2011 by Goldy

[Lindsey]

 

Hmmm, Heligirl03 meets the 117 pound part, just not the red head. Besides, who knows, her CFI days may be over now that she's flying turbines all day long??

 

 

Her CFI days are never over; I keep her on her toes.

[Tenacious T]

I guess we are cheap, we charge $100 for a 20 minute intro in an R44.

[rjl2001]

It's been a while since I've gone on any intro flights, but $150 seemed about average. For a R44, $200 probably isn't all that bad. It varies a lot school to school though. I saw a lot of intro rates that were discounted from their normal rates, then again I saw a few schools where their intro price actually seemed higher than their normal rates if you did the math. It's also nice if you get a pilot who is lenient on the flight time.

 

Hey MadbomberEOD I'm also from the Panhandle area, if you know where Niceville is. I haven't really done any helicopter training down there, but if you haven't already I would check out Panhandle Helicopter. their website here. I've met the owner JR Hott a couple times, and got a good impression about them (believe he might be a VR member too). Otherwise, I looked at Tallahassee Helicopter when they were first opening up a few years ago. their website here. They seemed good too, but I believe they only had an R44 for training. Otherwise, Boatpix usually has a R22 up around Pensacola/Destin area that I understand they will move to your location if you're able to buy a block of hours up front.

[gary-mike]

Right at $100 here in Northern Utah, I paid $50 dollars for mine at an open house. I flew for around 20-30 min. in a R22, mini ground school/briefing was about 10 minutes long.

[MadbomberEOD]

 

Hey MadbomberEOD I'm also from the Panhandle area, if you know where Niceville is. I haven't really done any helicopter training down there, but if you haven't already I would check out Panhandle Helicopter. their website here. I've met the owner JR Hott a couple times, and got a good impression about them (believe he might be a VR member too). Otherwise, I looked at Tallahassee Helicopter when they were first opening up a few years ago. their website here. They seemed good too, but I believe they only had an R44 for training. Otherwise, Boatpix usually has a R22 up around Pensacola/Destin area that I understand they will move to your location if you're able to buy a block of hours up front.

 

LOL, went through my military training up there. At least out at the ranges. I will be there in May for the EOD ball, not that I'm all to far away. Live in Tallahassee on weekends and work in PC during week. If your still in the area shoot me a message.