heli_Rod

It depends how you fly and how near max power you have to fly. A nicely matched model where the throttle is operated most of its time at half power will last a lot longer.

The critical question is to send it for bearing replacement and rebalance before they actually fail. Then you are inclined to lose the turbine the compressor and possibly the combustion chamber and it gets rather expensive. Some turbines start to make a nasty yowl or exhibit a tendency to cut which alerts you to the need for a service.

Actually 25 hours is for most people - 2 seasons flying and is longer than you think.

The real cost is not just the engine upkeep, but a generally higher maintenance standard - undercarriage, battery duplication and servo replacement etc. Because a jet model is valuable and very high performance - if there is the slightest thing wrong - you replace that component or you stop flying. How many times have you flown with a slightly chattering servo on the faithful sport model?

The good news is how jet models seam to outlast the i/c model as a result. It is not unusual to come across models that have done 250 flights. I have seen a couple that are approaching the 1000 flights that are still immaculate and unmarked. On the whole - you do not get bored flying a jet!

Ultimately the cost / benefit equation is in your mind and only you can say "It is worth it" and "I can afford it".