Pilot Mike’s Weblog

A lot of you have been emailing me and are interested in my Robinson R22 cost calculations that I mentioned in this post. I came up with this spreadsheet (posted as a JPEG file below) after looking at lots of new and used Robinson R22s and concluded that if you have the appropriate cash flow, it can be cheaper to buy a new Robinson R22 for initial helicopter training and fly it for 5 years vs renting. I’d welcome your comments on my cost estimations.

Find out all the details after the jump.

Assumptions

1. 10% down payment
2. Pathfinder insurance
3. You have desire to administer (paperwork, etc) all aspects of owning your own aircraft
4. You are okay with flying your own (brand new) helicopter for your initial training
5. Acquisition January 1 of year 1 and sale of aircraft on December 31 of year 5
6. Flight time of at least 100 hours per year
7. Inculdes some cost for a CFI in year 1 and recurrent training (you may need more or less)

Robinson R22 Ownership Cost Calculation

Disclaimer: This information is strictly hypothetical and should not be relied upon as advice to help you with your specific situation. Each aircraft purchase situation is unique and must be analyzed by professionals including, but not limited to, an attorney and tax professional licensed to practice in your area.

If you are interested in the actual spreadsheet so you can customize your own figures, please contact me.

Let me know what you think!