A-Star B2/B3: Any Heli Pilots, Mechanics, or Engineers?

[FourT6and2]

Anybody here have first-hand experience with A-Star B2/B3 machines?

 

[MitchK]

I’ve got about 3000 hrs flying astars. Mostly b2

 

[FourT6and2]

I’ve got about 3000 hrs flying astars. Mostly b2

Awesome. What's your opinion of them?

I do a bit of heli skiing up in B.C. each season in A-Stars. One of the pilots I flew with expressed interest in finding a partner to buy one. Wants to own and lease it out to an operator he flies for as a business opportunity. Seems like a cool idea, but not without a ton of risk.

 

[7.62willdo]

Your insurance agent will explain it to you…..

 

[MitchK]

Have you heard about the best way to become a millionaire in the aviation business? Start off as a billionaire!

The astar is a great helicopter. B3 would be my choice for mountain flying. All helicopters require lots of maintenance. Plus there’s all kinds of hoops you have to jump thru when you start flying people for money. I can’t really speak to costs and so forth. But as a pilot, the astar is a good choice for a light single

 

[Basher]

I don’t fly the AS350/H125, but I’ve been tied in to a Part 61 training and Part 91 commercial op for the past year and a half. Operating aircraft for compensation/hire is not for the faint of heart, but it can be extremely rewarding in several ways. There’s way more that goes in to legally moving people and products than most think.

Scott Urschel at Pylon Aviation has been in the business of buying and selling aircraft for many years, and I believe he consults as well. He might be a good guy to get ahold of, at least as a starting point. He could likely walk you through quite a bit and get you pointed towards other contacts including investors and insurers who could help you decide if it’s something you want to get involved in.

Performance wise, the H125 is a phenomenal airframe. I have several former instructors and classmates who fly them and they all agree.

 

[FourT6and2]

Your insurance agent will explain it to you…..

See below

Have you heard about the best way to become a millionaire in the aviation business? Start off as a billionaire!

The astar is a great helicopter. B3 would be my choice for mountain flying. All helicopters require lots of maintenance. Plus there’s all kinds of hoops you have to jump thru when you start flying people for money. I can’t really speak to costs and so forth. But as a pilot, the astar is a good choice for a light single

The business model I'm talking about is more of a dry lease, where the private owner of the machine leases it to a helicopter operator to add to their fleet. The operator provides their own insurance, labor, pilots, engineers, mechanics, maintenance, hanger, etc. for a contracted number of flight hours. The operator then contracts with a heli ski company to fly their guests during the winter. During shoulder seasons, the operator contracts with other entities for things like fighting wildfires, search and rescue, mining, oil/gas, wildlife studies, etc.

I don’t fly the AS350/H125, but I’ve been tied in to a Part 61 training and Part 91 commercial op for the past year and a half. Operating aircraft for compensation/hire is not for the faint of heart, but it can be extremely rewarding in several ways. There’s way more that goes in to legally moving people and products than most think.

Scott Urschel at Pylon Aviation has been in the business of buying and selling aircraft for many years, and I believe he consults as well. He might be a good guy to get ahold of, at least as a starting point. He could likely walk you through quite a bit and get you pointed towards other contacts including investors and insurers who could help you decide if it’s something you want to get involved in.

Performance wise, the H125 is a phenomenal airframe. I have several former instructors and classmates who fly them and they all agree.

Yep, I've heard of Scott Urschel and reached out.