The two-seat trainer against its four-seat sibling, the most common decision in piston-helicopter ownership.
The table below uses the same versioned PlaneFit dataset as the Finder. Prices and operating costs are planning estimates, not quotations.
| Decision factor | Robinson R22 Beta IIView aircraft profile | Robinson R44 Raven IIView aircraft profile | Robinson R44 CadetView aircraft profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical market year | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 |
| Estimated purchase | €328k | €564k | €454k |
| Annual cash cost at 80 h | €32k | €48k | €52k |
| Five-year cash outlay | €487k | €805k | €714k |
| Cruise speed | 96 kt | 109 kt | 109 kt |
| Advertised range | 250 nm | 350 nm | 300 nm |
| Seats | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Realistic payload | 169 kg | 349 kg | 261 kg |
| Runway need | Vertical | Vertical | Vertical |
| Data confidence | Normalized for direct comparison | Normalized for direct comparison | Preliminary, verify source data before deciding |
| Main trade-off | The lowest-cost certified helicopter entry point, but payload, wind tolerance and overhaul economics are restrictive. | Better hot-and-high capability than the Raven I, but overhaul status remains more important than calendar age alone. | A capable two-seat trainer using the R44 platform, but calendar overhaul and component lives dominate economics. |
A factual first pass. Mission, condition and configuration can outweigh a brochure advantage.
Two-seat piston training and personal helicopter. Its central ownership trade-off is: The lowest-cost certified helicopter entry point, but payload, wind tolerance and overhaul economics are restrictive.
Planning snapshot: €328k indicative price and €32k annual cash cost at 80 hours.
Read the full aircraft profile →Fuel-injected four-seat piston helicopter. Its central ownership trade-off is: Better hot-and-high capability than the Raven I, but overhaul status remains more important than calendar age alone.
Planning snapshot: €564k indicative price and €48k annual cash cost at 80 hours.
Read the full aircraft profile →