Heavy twin helicopter · operating costs
Sikorsky S-61N Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
A Sikorsky S-61N costs about $11,000 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $1,212,000 a year fixed plus $4,467 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $10,526
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $2,105,197
- Fixed costs / year
- $1,211,797
- Variable / flight hour
- $4,467
- Jet A, $1,302/hr today
- Fuel burn
- 170 gal/hr
- 2 pilots, paid
- Crew assumed
- 2 crew
CRAFT estimates in USD for a U.S.-based aircraft. How we estimate them is below; every line has its source.
What a Sikorsky S-61N costs per hour
The Sikorsky S-61N is a heavy twin helicopter with 25 seats, burning 170 gallons of Jet A an hour. In our estimate it costs $4,467 for every hour it flies and $1,211,797 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $10,526 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $16,585; over 400, $7,496.
The estimate assumes a paid crew: 2 pilots. The largest single cost at 200 hours is crew salary, at $603,867 a year.
Sikorsky S-61N cost calculator
Sikorsky S-61N annual cost
$2,105,237 per year
$1,211,797 fixed + $4,467/hr × 200 hrs ($1,302/hr of it fuel: 170 gal at $7.66). About $10,526 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. Sikorsky S-61N, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the Sikorsky S-61N costs a year before it flies an hour.
| Fixed costs | Per year | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Salary | $603,867 | 1 captain at $232,140 (BLS median, airline pilots), 1 first officer at $190,440 (BLS 75th percentile, commercial pilots), 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, $60,000 to $110,000 | $85,000 | Recurrent training each year for 2 pilots, at $30,000 to $55,000 per pilot for a heavy twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| HangarEstimate, $63,360 to $144,000 | $103,680 | From Concord-Padgett's largest priced hangar rate ($5,280 a month) to an S-92 footprint (68 ft long, 56 ft rotor) at Naples' $1.85 a square foot, with room around it ($12,000): $5,280 to $12,000 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, $127,500 to $255,000 | $191,250 | Liability of $15,000 to $30,000 a year plus hull cover at 0.75% to 1.5% of a hull value of $15,000,000, a typical value for heavy twin-engine helicopters, CRAFT estimate (no published price for this model). Liability rises from BWI's published helicopter figure with the limits a heavy passenger helicopter carries; hull at 0.75% to 1.5% of value is a CRAFT estimate, lower as values rise. Midpoints used; pilot experience moves it a lot.Source: BWI Aviation Insurance, "Helicopter insurance cost" (January 28, 2020) |
| ManagementEstimate, $96,000 to $180,000 | $138,000 | A management company's fee of $8,000 to $15,000 a month for a heavy twin helicopter (crew, maintenance tracking, compliance and billing). CRAFT estimate.Source: Business Jet Traveler, "Is a management company right for you?" |
| Miscellaneous FixedEstimate, $60,000 to $120,000 | $90,000 | Navigation databases and charts, weather and flight planning, maintenance tracking, connectivity and office costs: $60,000 to $120,000 a year for a heavy twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $1,211,797 |
Variable costs
What each flight hour adds. Fuel is priced at $7.66 a gallon; every dollar a gallon moves the hourly cost by $170.
| Variable costs | Per flight hour | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | $1,302 | 170 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 'H-3/S-61 All Series' (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, $1,000 to $1,800 | $1,400 | Scheduled maintenance, parts, labor and unscheduled repairs for the airframe and avionics: $1,000 to $1,800 a flight hour for a heavy 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, $500 to $800 | $650 | An hourly reserve for the next engine overhaul: $250 to $400 per engine per hour for a heavy twin helicopter, for 2 engines. No published overhaul price for this engine, so a CRAFT estimate. |
| Rotor and Drive ComponentsEstimate, $400 to $800 | $600 | Life-limited rotor blades, gearboxes and drive-train parts, reserved by the hour: $400 to $800 a flight hour for a heavy twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| Crew/Landing/Handling FeesEstimate, $250 to $500 | $375 | Landing, ramp and handling fees and crew travel: $250 to $500 a flight hour for a heavy twin helicopter. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous VariableEstimate, $80 to $200 | $140 | Cabin supplies, cleaning and catering: $80 to $200 a flight hour. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $4,467 |
Annual cost at 100, 200 and 400 hours
| Hours a year | 100 hours | 200 hours | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | $1,211,797 | $1,211,797 | $1,211,797 |
| Variable costs | $446,700 | $893,400 | $1,786,800 |
| Total a year | $1,658,497 | $2,105,197 | $2,998,597 |
| Per flight hour | $16,585 | $10,526 | $7,496 |
Sikorsky S-61N specs
- Class
- Heavy twin helicopter
- Engines
- 2 × General Electric CT58-140
- Fuel
- Jet A
- Fuel burn
- 170 gal/hr
- Seats
- 25
- Cruise
- 120 kts
- Range
- 450 nm
- Max takeoff weight
- 19,000 lb
Specs: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (Sikorsky S-61).
The Sikorsky S-61N compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
Sikorsky S-61NHeavy twin helicopter | $10,526 | $2,105,197 | 170 gal/hr |
 Sikorsky S-92Heavy twin helicopter | $10,587 | $2,117,397 | 178 gal/hr |
 Airbus H225Heavy twin helicopter | $10,626 | $2,125,197 | 183 gal/hr |
 Bell 214STMedium twin helicopter | $7,362 | $1,472,350 | 133 gal/hr |
 Leonardo AW139Medium twin helicopter | $7,331 | $1,466,150 | 129 gal/hr |
 Sikorsky S-58TMedium twin helicopter | $7,224 | $1,444,750 | 115 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 heavy 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 Sikorsky S-61N cost per hour?
About $11,000 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $4,467 an hour in direct costs (fuel, maintenance, engine and parts reserves, fees) plus $1,211,797 a year in fixed costs spread over the hours. Flown 100 hours it is about $17,000 an hour; flown 400, about $7,500.
How much does it cost to own a Sikorsky S-61N for a year?
About $2,105,000 a year flown 200 hours: $1,211,797 in fixed costs (crew salary, crew training, hangar, insurance, management, miscellaneous fixed) and $893,400 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does a Sikorsky S-61N burn?
170 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 $1,302 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $170.
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