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I was looking at the Robinson site today and noticed the price of a new R22 starts at $210,000!!! It just keeps going up and up. Is it just me or does anyone think this is ridiculous? Who pays $210,000 for a freaking 2 seat R22!!!! With the design so proven and the company supposedly doing so well you would think the prices would come down? Dont they understand if they lowered their prices more people would buy a helicopter and in the long run things would get cheaper due to economy of scale. It is just frustrating that something I love so much is so expensive. Also the part prices are outrageous, I was looking a part cost for the Schwiezer 300 and everything is so expensive. I cant believe people pay these prices either. The design is old as the hills and frankly hasnt changed all that much in terms of apperance or performance. Helicopter manufactuers if you read this please please do something about making helicopters that are more affordable and sensible for the average person. Ugh.... i am going to go calm down and get off of my soapbox now.

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Yeah, I think the prices are a bit outrageous, but not by much. If you look around, you can find great (relatively speaking) deals on other baby-copters (I say that because they're all tiny. Don't take that as a derrogatory remark about the helicopters) like the Bell 47. There's at least one rebuild going for around 80k if you look hard enough.

 

It is sad though that 80k is a "steal". I feel like we're talking about ferraris.

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Unfortunately Robinson's cost escalate just like our living cost do.

I've learned over the years that nothing goes down in cost.

Robinson built and delivered over 800 helicopters last year

and obviously they are selling all they can build.

Robinson makes no secret of the fact that they intend to phase out production of the 22 and push the Raven I as a trainer.

I looked at used birds all over the country and finally decided that the best bang for my buck was a new 44.

Choppers ain't cheap but what is anymore-

 

gft

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Robinson’s main focus is building the R44 helicopter not the R22. If they raise the price enough on the 22 people will opt to spend the extra dollars and order the R44.

If you take the factory tour you will see many R44 models being put together and only a small handful of the R22’s. It seems this marketing strategy is working well for them.

 

RW

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Until I started flying the R22 I used to complain about how expensive airplanes were.

 

The subject of phasing out the 22 came up a couple of times when I was at the factory course a few months ago. They stated every time that they have no intention of phasing out a product that is selling well. Yes, they sell a lot more 44s than 22s so that's why you see more at the factory.

 

As for the price, the production and quality assurance at the factory was very impressive. No doubt that takes a lot of money. Given the option of lower quality at a lower price, or the R22 as priced it's a no-brainer.

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As for the price, the production and quality assurance at the factory was very impressive. No doubt that takes a lot of money. Given the option of lower quality at a lower price, or the R22 as priced it's a no-brainer.

 

Yes, the quality and factory are very impressive, but for the price I'll take a used IFR 300C with a cargo hook that can carry more than a 10 gallon bucket of water.

 

Doug

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Dont they understand if they lowered their prices more people would buy a helicopter and in the long run things would get cheaper due to economy of scale.

 

You are obviously not a businessman then!!!!

 

They have the best-selling product in the world. Why shouldn't they put their prices up? They run a business, and want to get rich! They also want to shift the buying focus to R44. What better way to do that than to raise R22 prices.

 

Imagine if they did sell it at cost. Then any Tom, Dick or Harry buys one and goes out killing himself. The reason why most schools use it is because it is cheep. However, it wasn't designed as a trainer. So again, asking top dollar may also shift the school's focus from the R22 to the multi-purpose R44.

 

Keep the prices high, I say. Frank, make your money. You deserve it.

 

Joker

 

There are two kinds of people in this world - Those who end up being consumers all their life, and....

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So again, asking top dollar may also shift the school's focus from the R22 to the multi-purpose R44.

 

Keep the prices high, I say. Frank, make your money. You deserve it.

 

Joker

 

The problem that Frank is going to have is flight school are going to move away from the Robinson line and go to Schwiezer. If you look at what SFAR73 requires to teach in an R44 and then look at what Pathfinder requires, not too many people are going to be willing to pay the high price of getting 500 hours of helicopter time to be able to teach in the R44 as required by Pathfinder. People are already complaining about needing 300 hours to teach in the R22 as required by Pathfinder. If a school follows what everyone says is Frank's desires and uses a Raven I as a primary trainer and charges a modest $400 per hour for the flight training, you'd be looking at $80,000 for a 200 hour package. Then the new 200 hour pilot still has to figure out how to get the other 300 hours needed to meet Pathfinder requirements.

 

I know that everyone is saying that Frank wants the Raven I to be the new primary trainer, but unless he can get the hourly DOC down (ie lower dramatically the cost of the overhaul kit) I have a feeling that the Schweizer 300 series will be start replacing the R22 as the primary trainer.

 

Just my two-cents.

 

Doug

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HH60Pilot

 

The problem that Frank is going to have is flight school are going to move away from the Robinson line and go to Schwiezer.

 

And when that happens the prices will come down! That's if he actually wants to stay in that market. My point is that complaining how a company sets its price for a product is not really realistic in an open market. It's up to them. If they stuff it up and go bust, then that's their fault. But to speak as if we have a right to demand a price to be lowered is rediculous! THEY ARE A BUSINESS! If people buy, then sell. If you don't pay, you don't get! Simple economics.

 

Personally, I hope to see the Schweizer take over the ab-initio training market. Read previous threads to see my definite views on that subject!

 

I cant believe people pay these prices either.

 

Well they obviously are paying 'these prices'.

 

 

If a school follows what everyone says is Frank's desires and uses a Raven I as a primary trainer

 

Well this is only speculation isn't it. I (we) can't be sure that this is his desire. Maybe his desire is to reduce the presence of the R22 (and Robinson helicopters in general) in the ab-initio training market. Maybe he is trying to redress the 'brand image' of RHC and become a bigger player in other markets...say the 'secondary' training market... We don't know.

 

 

Joker

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You are obviously not a businessman then!!!!

 

They have the best-selling product in the world. Why shouldn't they put their prices up? They run a business, and want to get rich! They also want to shift the buying focus to R44. What better way to do that than to raise R22 prices.

 

His profit margins would initial go down, yes. But he could easily make up for that and more by the resulting increase in sales. And then his unit cost would presumable go down as the robinsons line becomes more mass produced and efficeient. Thereby restoring his orginal profit margins on each unit and overall increasing his profit. I say Mr. Robinson please lower the prices of your helicopters so that I can afford one and then get rich when your helicopter comany dominates the world much like Walmart. LOL

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like what joker said, if the price comes down too much you'll have every man and his dog owning a helicopter, and that's a hell of a lot of inexperience.

 

I'd rather a safe helicopter for a more expensive price than something much cheaper thats going to fall out of the sky any second :)

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Prices of spares are Very high partly to greed, (try pricing the fuel cut off cable and flex oil presure gage line for a 300), and partly to traceability so the leaches can be paid without hurting the bottem line

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