TexasCHLforum.com

TVGuy wrote:Used to skydive out of a Bell 412 and got one heck of a ride on the way up, that was a blast!



Good luck w/ your hunt if you end up going!

I don't personally see the value of jumping out of an aircraft that isn't on fire and trying to kill me, but that outbound ride looked like it was tremendous fun. That pilot gave y'all your money's worth.

jason812 wrote:Your best bet is to befriend a farmer or 2 and I mean full time farmer with over 1k acres. They might rent a chopper and you could get in with them. Even with that, plan on about $350/hr. I use to think that was a lot until I learned it's about $200/hr to keep a bird in the air. Last weekend around Waco, a couple of farmers got together and shot 132 pigs in 2 hours and only had 2 get away. Sounds like a blast.

It's not just the cost of keeping the chopper in the air. A Robinson R44 costs $420,000. A Robinson R66 costs $869,000. A Bell 407 costs $2.54 million. Monthly payments have to be made. If the owner is not the pilot, then there's a pilot's wage that has to be covered. Then there are airport related fees if the aircraft is kept at an airport. Etc., etc.

There's just no reasonable way to expect to get in on a helicopter hunt on the cheap. And if you want the helicopter company to also provide the rifles and the ammo, and other costs, well............