Fly helicopter recreationally?

Question

I was curious about taking up helicopter lessons & flying for recreation, but I figure flying is a pastime only for the obscenely rich. I make a decent salary with minimal living expenses (about $1000 disposable income by the end of the month if I don't go out on weekends or anything), so I have a two-part question: Would I be able to afford to learn to fly a helicopter recreationally in less than a year or so, and if so, how expensive is it, generally speaking, to keep the hobby up (buying my own helicopter or renting for a few hours)?

I assume helicopters have the usual vehicle financing plans (depreciating property with higher insurance costs), except that they cost in the $100,000 range. That makes me wonder how much the hidden costs would be: insurance, fuel, etc...

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

would suggest you to fly the fixed wings for recreation, they are about a quarter of the flight time costs, and even better with the maintenance. dont know about the prices in the US but in Europe you would fly ONE hour for your monthly disposable income. one hour per month is terribly low. at recent prices you would log some eight to ten flight hours with ultralight or up to fourty hours gliding.

Answer 2

This is somethimg I dont recommend you try to do on 1k a month, as an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic I can attest to the ungodly expense of corrosion control and inspections and maintenance not to mention hangar space for anything that flies, so heres what ya do, send up a flare to get the attention of anyone relatively geographicly close intrested in the same thing you are and you can create a fractional ownerships that'll let you enjoy the privilidge of rec flying without bearing all the cost.

Answer 3

As another person posted, fixed wing would be a better choice for recreational flying.  At the very least, earn your private pilot certificate in fixed wing, and then add a rotorcraft category rating to your certificate.  This way, you can fly most of the cross country flights and learn the basics of navigation, etc. in the less expensive fixed wing aircraft.

I'm not sure what you consider "obscenely rich" but with your level of disposable income, a helicopter rating is not practical.  As a newly rated pilot, renting will be difficult and owning is out of the question even without the "hidden costs."  Your guesstimate at the cost of a helicopter isn't even close, and the hourly cost of operating even a low-end helicopter might cause you to apply the "obscene" adjective.  There are reasons, and good ones, for the cost, but it is extremely high compared to fixed wing.

With your income, fixed wing flying is a possibility, but I don't believe flying helicopters is a viable option.