Light twin helicopter · operating costs
Bell 222UT Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
A Bell 222UT costs about $3,990 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $419,000 a year fixed plus $1,892 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $3,989
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $797,801
- Fixed costs / year
- $419,401
- Variable / flight hour
- $1,892
- Jet A, $636/hr today
- Fuel burn
- 83 gal/hr
- 1 pilot, paid
- Crew assumed
- 1 crew
CRAFT estimates in USD for a U.S.-based aircraft. How we estimate them is below; every line has its source.
What a Bell 222UT costs per hour
The Bell 222UT is a light twin helicopter, burning 83 gallons of Jet A an hour. In our estimate it costs $1,892 for every hour it flies and $419,401 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $3,989 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $6,086; over 400, $2,941.
The estimate assumes a paid crew: 1 pilot. The largest single cost at 200 hours is crew salary, at $190,271 a year.
Bell 222UT cost calculator
Bell 222UT annual cost
$797,757 per year
$419,401 fixed + $1,892/hr × 200 hrs ($636/hr of it fuel: 83 gal at $7.66). About $3,989 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. Bell 222UT, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the Bell 222UT costs a year before it flies an hour.
| Fixed costs | Per year | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Salary | $190,271 | 1 captain at $133,150 (BLS median, commercial pilots in nonscheduled air transportation), plus 43% for benefits and payroll costs (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026).Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (released May 15, 2026); BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released September 9, 2026) |
| Crew TrainingEstimate, $12,000 to $25,000 | $18,500 | Recurrent training each year for 1 pilot, at $12,000 to $25,000 per pilot for a light twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| HangarEstimate, $9,660 to $39,600 | $24,630 | From Concord-Padgett's turboprop-size hangar rate ($805 a month) to a Bell 429 footprint (42 ft long, 36 ft rotor) at Naples' $1.85 a square foot, with room around it ($3,300): $805 to $3,300 a month. Big-city airports cost more, a tie-down much less.Source: Published airport hangar and tie-down rates (Concord-Padgett Regional, City of Concord NC; Naples Airport Authority FY2026) (read October 15, 2026) |
| InsuranceEstimate, $79,000 to $158,000 | $118,500 | Liability of $4,000 to $8,000 a year plus hull cover at 1.5% to 3% of a hull value of $5,000,000, a typical value for light twin-engine helicopters, CRAFT estimate (no published price for this model). BWI's published helicopter guidance sets the floor for liability ($2,800 to $4,000 for $1 million; twins carry higher limits). Hull at 1.5% to 3% of value is a CRAFT estimate, below BWI's 4% to 10% for small helicopters as values rise. Midpoints used; pilot experience moves it a lot.Source: BWI Aviation Insurance, "Helicopter insurance cost" (January 28, 2020) |
| ManagementEstimate, $30,000 to $60,000 | $45,000 | A management company's fee of $2,500 to $5,000 a month for a light twin helicopter (crew, maintenance tracking, compliance and billing). CRAFT estimate.Source: Business Jet Traveler, "Is a management company right for you?" |
| Miscellaneous FixedEstimate, $15,000 to $30,000 | $22,500 | Navigation databases and charts, weather and flight planning, maintenance tracking, connectivity and office costs: $15,000 to $30,000 a year for a light twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $419,401 |
Variable costs
What each flight hour adds. Fuel is priced at $7.66 a gallon; every dollar a gallon moves the hourly cost by $83.
| Variable costs | Per flight hour | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | $636 | 83 gallons of Jet A an hour (USDA Forest Service, Helicopter Services Hourly Flight Rates, Fuel Consumption, and Weight Reduction Chart (CWN/Exclusive Use contracts awarded 2013-2017, effective 2019-02-16), USFS contract fuel consumption figure for helicopter '222UT' (gal/hr), used by the agency to compute load and fuel reimbursement; a government planning figure for typical operation, not a POH cruise table) at $7.66 a gallon, our estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on 2026-10-04.Source: USDA Forest Service, Helicopter Services Hourly Flight Rates, Fuel Consumption, and Weight Reduction Chart (CWN/Exclusive Use contracts awarded 2013-2017, effective 2019-02-16); CRAFT jet fuel price data |
| MaintenanceEstimate, $350 to $650 | $500 | Scheduled maintenance, parts, labor and unscheduled repairs for the airframe and avionics: $350 to $650 a flight hour for a light twin helicopter. Older aircraft sit at the top of the range. CRAFT estimate, checked against the USDA Forest Service's contract flight rates.Source: USDA Forest Service, Helicopter Services Hourly Flight Rates, Fuel Consumption, and Weight Reduction Chart (contracts awarded 2013 to 2017, effective February 16, 2019) |
| Engine OverhaulEstimate, $250 to $450 | $350 | An hourly reserve for the next engine overhaul: $125 to $225 per engine per hour for a light twin helicopter, for 2 engines. No published overhaul price for this engine, so a CRAFT estimate. |
| Rotor and Drive ComponentsEstimate, $150 to $300 | $225 | Life-limited rotor blades, gearboxes and drive-train parts, reserved by the hour: $150 to $300 a flight hour for a light twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| Crew/Landing/Handling FeesEstimate, $75 to $200 | $138 | Landing, ramp and handling fees and crew travel: $75 to $200 a flight hour for a light twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous VariableEstimate, $25 to $60 | $43 | Cabin supplies, cleaning and catering: $25 to $60 a flight hour. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $1,892 |
Annual cost at 100, 200 and 400 hours
| Hours a year | 100 hours | 200 hours | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | $419,401 | $419,401 | $419,401 |
| Variable costs | $189,200 | $378,400 | $756,800 |
| Total a year | $608,601 | $797,801 | $1,176,201 |
| Per flight hour | $6,086 | $3,989 | $2,941 |
Bell 222UT specs
- Class
- Light twin helicopter
- Engines
- 2 × Lycoming LTS101-750C-1
- Fuel
- Jet A
- Fuel burn
- 83 gal/hr
The Bell 222UT compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
Bell 222UTLight twin helicopter | $3,989 | $797,801 | 83 gal/hr |
 Airbus H145Light twin helicopter | $3,966 | $793,201 | 80 gal/hr |
 Bell 429Light twin helicopter | $3,958 | $791,601 | 79 gal/hr |
 MD 902 ExplorerLight twin helicopter | $3,882 | $776,401 | 69 gal/hr |
 Airbus H135Light twin helicopter | $3,843 | $768,601 | 64 gal/hr |
 MBB BO 105Light twin helicopter | $3,774 | $754,801 | 55 gal/hr |
How we estimate these costs
Every aircraft on our operating cost calculator is costed the same way: fixed costs a year plus a cost per flight hour, from public inputs. Crew pay comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hangar rates from published airport schedules, insurance from a broker's published guidance, fuel from our fuel price data, and the fuel burn from USDA Forest Service. Lines marked “estimate” are the midpoint of a stated range for light twin-engine helicopters, not a quote. Nothing here comes from another cost calculator or a broker's budgets.
- Not included: the purchase price, financing, depreciation, sales tax, upgrades and paint or interior work, and any rental or charter income.
- What moves it most: hours flown (fixed costs spread thinner), the fuel price, where it is hangared, the pilot's experience (insurance) and the aircraft's age (maintenance).
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Bell 222UT cost per hour?
About $3,990 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $1,892 an hour in direct costs (fuel, maintenance, engine and parts reserves, fees) plus $419,401 a year in fixed costs spread over the hours. Flown 100 hours it is about $6,090 an hour; flown 400, about $2,940.
How much does it cost to own a Bell 222UT for a year?
About $798,000 a year flown 200 hours: $419,401 in fixed costs (crew salary, crew training, hangar, insurance, management, miscellaneous fixed) and $378,400 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does a Bell 222UT burn?
83 gallons of Jet A an hour (USDA Forest Service, Helicopter Services Hourly Flight Rates, Fuel Consumption, and Weight Reduction Chart (CWN/Exclusive Use contracts awarded 2013-2017, effective 2019-02-16)). At $7.66 a gallon, the estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on October 4, 2026, that is $636 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $83.
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