[n86121]

When in my 20's (1980's) I bought an Enstrom helicopter....to impress girls.
And yeah, it was a lot of fun.

I had the requisite 40 hours or so in a Robinson R22 to get the rating,
then went shopping for a (used) Enstrom.

I would not say 'more affordable' in this discussion.

I had no loan, but if you wanted just liability, vs at least $50k hull,
the premium was about the same.
So you might as well get the $50k hull for about the same money.

By the way, that was with a $7,500 deductible.
I remember calculating I could hover it backward into a tree once a year
and come out about the same.

The 1st year premium was around $3.6k
Then $5.9k
Then around $8.5k
Then when it hit $11.9k a year (remember, 1980's dollars), I stopped playing.

Remembe, $7.5k deductible, $50k hull coverage.....1980s

At that tiime,
all piston helicopter insurance fell into the same risk pool at Lloyds as launchpad insurance,
The last year a $300m satellite blew up on the pad,
and that particular Lloyds syndicate made the paid out,

....so my piston helicoptrt insurance rate went to $12k

Now in 2023 dollars that would be.....

With two exotic cars, I would tell people,
"Perhaps a cocaine addiction would be a more cost-effective hobby?"

That all said,
I've now got about 2k hours in my turbo non-pressurized RSTOL 337,
no accidents since 1989, $150k hull @ around $3.4k/year.