Which helicopter should you buy? A guide by mission, with Brazil data

Which helicopters fly in Brazil?

A good starting point is what people and companies actually operate. The list below shows, in order, the helicopters in operation in the RAB for the models covered in this guide. Out-of-production models and smaller fleets are left out, such as the Bell 206 JetRanger (62 in operation). The RAB records the regime (RBAC 91, private use; RBAC 135, air charter), but not the mission: Jet Tracker does not know whether an Esquilo does agricultural work, executive transport or construction support.

Four variables that decide

• How many people, in how many flights. Two seats (R22), four (R44), five (R66 and Bell 505), seven (H125, Bell 407 and H135), nine (H145) or more than ten (AW139) define the class before the price (catalog sheets).
• Distance. Sheet ranges go from 240 to 573 nautical miles, and the reserve conditions vary by manufacturer: read the note under the table below.
• Piston or turbine, one engine or two. Piston costs less to buy and to operate. Two engines bring redundancy and a much higher cost. If the rule for your operation or your insurance requires two engines, that decides the class: confirm with ANAC, Brazil's civil aviation authority, and with the insurer.
• Hours per year. Those who fly little pay a lot per hour for an owned aircraft, because the fixed cost is spread across few hours. The Jet Tracker comparison tool calculates owned, fractional and charter for the models with a full profile, such as the H125 and the AW109.

Piston or turbine, in practical terms: the R44 (piston) and the R66 (turbine) have similar sheet cruise, up to 109 knots on the Raven II and up to 110 knots on the R66, both at maximum weight (Robinson, Feb 2026 brochures). What changes is the engine, the capacity (five seats against four) and the price: $646K on the Raven II and $1.456 million on the R66 NxG, from Robinson's January 1, 2026 price list.

First helicopter, training and leisure: R22 and R44

These have the lowest entry cost. The R22 Beta II has two seats and a Robinson list price of $375,000; Jet Tracker's cost engine estimates it at about $304 per hour (400 hours per year). In operation in the RAB, there are 27. The R44 has four seats, a list price of $553,500 (Raven I) and $646,000 (Raven II), an estimated cost of about $442 per hour and 172 in operation.

The point of attention is the major overhaul: on the R44, the airframe and engine have a TBO of 2,200 hours or 12 years, whichever comes first (Robinson, R44 brochure, Feb 2026). Of the 172 R44 in operation in the RAB, 148 have a year of manufacture through 2014, and the registry does not show how many overhauls were done. Details in the Robinson R44 price guide.

Light turbine with contained cost: R66 and Bell 505

The R66 is the only turbine with a public price list among the models in this guide ($1.456 million for the R66 NxG), with five seats, cruise of up to 110 knots and a range of about 350 nautical miles with no reserve (Robinson, R66 NxG brochure, Feb 2026). Estimated cost: about $547 per hour. In operation in the RAB, there are 271, and the fleet is young: 168 of the 271 have a year of manufacture from 2020 onward (Jet Tracker, RAB, queried Oct 12, 2026). The details are in the R66 price guide.

The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X also has five seats, cruises at 125 knots and has a range of 306 nautical miles (catalog), with an estimated cost of about $1,127 per hour, double the R66 in Jet Tracker's estimates. Part of that gap comes from different assumptions: the 505 profile includes a pilot salary, and the Robinson profiles do not. In the RAB there are 96 in operation, the average age of the fleet is 3.3 years, and in listings the median asking price is $2.0 million (17 listings with a price, queried Oct 12, 2026).

Utility and work: Esquilo (H125), Bell 407 and H130

The Esquilo is the most numerous helicopter in the segment: 303 in operation, 215 under RBAC 91 and 88 under RBAC 135. The H125 sheet, according to Airbus, is up to 136 knots of cruise, 340 nautical miles of range and one pilot plus up to six passengers. Estimated cost: about $1,222 per hour. The price of a new one is not published by Airbus; in listings, the family's median asking price is $2.2 million, with 11 prices among 89 listings. The H125 price guide opens up the numbers.

The Bell 407 is the direct competitor on the sheet: up to seven seats and 133 knots of cruise in the catalog, with a range of 337 nautical miles (Bell, 407GXi sheet), an estimated cost of about $1,428 per hour. It has 36 in operation in the RAB, far fewer than the Esquilo's 303. The H130 (EC130 family) has 103 in operation and, in the catalog, up to seven occupants and cruise of 128 knots.

Executive and passenger transport, twin-engine: AW109, H135, H145 and Bell 429

This is the two-engine class. The table below brings together the catalog sheets and the estimated costs. The AW109 has the largest fleet in operation (115), followed by the Bell 429 (63), the H145 (39) and the H135 (30). In listings of this class, only the AW109 has enough prices for a median ($2.5 million, 11 prices, with variants from very different generations lumped together). The H135, Bell 429 and H145 have two, two and one published price, respectively: there is no market to describe, and direct negotiation is what settles the price.

It is worth remembering that the Bell 429 has a maximum cruise of 155 knots, according to Bell, and a range of 411 nautical miles in the catalog, and the H135 has a range of 338 nautical miles, according to Airbus. The choice between them comes down to cabin, support network and offer price, not just the sheet.

Heavy class: AW139 and S-92

The AW139 has 75 in operation in the RAB, and the S-92, 40. In the catalog, the AW139 has up to 15 occupants, cruise of 165 knots and a range of 573 nautical miles with a 30-minute VFR reserve and 8 passengers; the S-92, up to 19 occupants and 151 knots. Estimated cost of the AW139: about $4,193 per hour. None of the 38 AW139 listings publishes a price. The RAB does not record the mission, so Jet Tracker does not know how many of these fly in offshore platform support.

Summary by model

Sources: Jet Tracker catalog (sheets, with the manufacturer cited where the catalog carries the source) for seats, cruise and range; Robinson, R44 brochure (Feb 2026), for the R44; Jet Tracker cost engine (canonical-2026-09, 400 hours per year) for cost per hour; RAB (ANAC), executive segment, base of Oct 11, 2026, for the fleet in operation. Queried Oct 12, 2026. Caveats: the basis for the seat count varies by sheet (occupants or passengers), the fuel reserve conditions in the range vary by manufacturer, and the assumptions in the cost profiles differ: the three Robinsons assume the owner flying, with no hired pilot; all the others include a pilot salary, and the H135, H145 and AW139 profiles include two pilots. The cost gap between the Robinsons and the rest is inflated by that. Compare within the same class, and use the table as a starting point.