Why are helicopter prices so high?

Why should the dealers sell for less when so many people willingly pay more?

Luckily, the internet provides LOTS of price competition which helps. But heli parts are low volume with the exception of a couple popular kits.

Some parts just seem too easy. Flybars and booms should be a buck each. Can't someone out there figure out a way?

Tom

I tried to find somone that would sell the material to make tail booms. All Jr tail booms are the same diameter. I have taken a Ergo 60 boom that was bent at the mount and cut it down to fit my Venture. If I could find some stock I would cut all my booms.
I have made flybars before. 3mm and 4mm stainless rod is not to hard to find.

Of course they can, but then the one who figures it out wants to make $15 apiece on them... $15 + $1 = $16, right back where we started...

i actually think helis are very reasonably priced, considering the materials used, time for development needed, machinery, manufacturing, packaging, distributing,shipping, marketing, labor, sales stuff etc... and that in combination with a fairly small market...

you go right ahead and make your on booms and flybars, but that doesn't make a heli... and the time you spend doing it, finding the materials etc...

Agreed, for a manufacturer it's extremely difficult to turn a profit. Costs are enormous. Design, testing, marketing, manufacturing, distributing, support, the list goes on. All of these things have to be paid for by sale of the goods. The world-wide market for RC helis is rather small and there is a lot of competition.

The level of elegant sophistication on the latest RC helis amazes me. I consider RC helis aggressively priced.

Jason

The materials aren't really a big factor. The actual materials in a helli are a NEGLIGIBLE part of the cost, manufacturing is where it comes into play, especially with the head and gears etc.. Because you're talking about very small parts that rotate at up to 18-20 THOUSAND RPM on the engine side and 1500-1800 on the rotor head side. It's only semi precision work, but you have to get the parts made by the thousands to make money on them and you have to sell a LOT of helli's to justify that cost. Maybe half or better of the parts in a helli could be made by joe-smoe at a local hobby store. We have a fairly big one out here where you can get brass, steel, stainless, copper, some titanium, rod sheeting angle brackets. All you need is a dremel tool a pair of tin snips and a little bit of junk sheet metal and you can make nearly everything but the head and main shaft parts, add a few screws a little bit of epoxy some super glue, and after some effort you have a helli. Well maybe a lot of effort =>

I have a friend who owns a hobby store, and I can tell you, there really isn't that much profit in helis. Above all, most of the helis are made overseas. The shipping has got be crazy. Customs, and all that....