I was surprised to know that those small helicopters like the MD530F, Bell 407 and ACH125 are much more expensive than the SR-22, DA-40 and Cessna 172 (new ones ,not used ones).
Why are helicopters more expensive?
Robsteriark
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They are much more mechanically complicated, cost far more to design, test and get certified, and all but the cheapest Robinson now tend to be jet-powered. They also tend to use more expensive varieties of alloys and composites in their construction.
CactiJoe
Rotary wing aircraft (helicopters) are much more difficult to manufacture in comparison to airplanes. They likely don't sell as many copters compared to small airplanes.
Vincent G
The helicopters you listed all have a turbine engine and typically carry 6 people, to the 4 of the aircraft. It is like asking why a Cadillac limousine costs more than a Toyota Yaris.
C'mon.
If at least you would have taken comparable, say the Robinson R22, a 2 seat piston engine light helicopter that sells for $285000, to a Diamond DA20, a 2 seat light plane that sells for $188000, with a piston engine from the same manufacturer and essentially the same power.
And the answer is: a rotor is a freakishly more complicated piece of hardware to build than a fixed wing.
Anonymous
For one thing, dumbass, the planes have piston engines while those helicopters have TURBINE ENGINES that start at $350,000, and go up from there. The engines in the planes mentioned cost 1/6 of that, or less. All of the parts in the rotor system are far more complex and undergo far more stress than any component on a fixed-wing aircraft, therefore the engineering, construction and tolerances cost a lot more to p[roduce them. Just a set of rotor blades and the hub can cost more than a new Cessna 172.
Coffee Drinker
Because they are far more complex. They have more moving parts, require more power and more fuel, and more electronics and controls to keep them stable in flight.