Flight time or ground time — what are you actually paying for?
The hourly rate is the first thing everyone asks about. But two suppliers with an identical hourly rate can send invoices that differ by tens of thousands on the same mission. The difference isn't in the price per hour — it's in how the hours are counted.
This page explains how flight time is calculated, where the hidden surcharges arise, and what you should ask for in writing before you sign.
What is flight time?
For a helicopter, flight time is normally counted from the moment the rotor starts turning before take-off to the moment it stops after landing. That is an established and reasonable definition — the helicopter burns fuel and draws on component life and maintenance intervals even while sitting on the ground with the rotor running.
The definition itself is not the problem. The problem is how the ground time is estimated.
The fixed surcharge per start and stop
It is common practice to add a fixed number of minutes for every start and every stop — typically around six minutes at each end — regardless of how long start-up and shutdown actually took.
On a mission with a single take-off and a single landing, it is barely noticeable. On a mission with many stops in between, it becomes a very different matter.
The point is not that ground time should be free. The point is that it should be measured, not assumed.
Why Mid-Norway is different
The region has unusually tight competition — several operators serve a geographically limited market. When the hourly rate is pushed down toward the pain threshold, the margin moves to where the customer can't see it: into the pricing model itself. The hourly rate in the quote looks sharp. The invoice doesn't.
Worked example — cargo lift to a communications tower
A typical mission on closed national infrastructure:
- Departure from base to the mission site
- Landing where the load is staged
- Flying the load to the tower
- Flying to a holding position while technicians work
- Return to pick up the technicians
- Landing and dropping off the technicians
- Return to base
Up to seven start-and-stop cycles on a single mission.
| Calculation | Time |
|---|---|
| Fixed surcharge — 7 × 6 minutes | 42 minutes |
| Actual rotor time on the ground — measured | approx. 20 minutes |
| Difference | approx. 22 minutes |
The figures above are a worked example based on mission types we know well. Actual start-up time varies with helicopter type, temperature and procedure — which is exactly why it should be measured rather than estimated.
At an hourly rate of NOK 24,000, 22 minutes amounts to roughly NOK 8,800 — on a single mission. On a framework agreement with 150 missions a year, that adds up to over NOK 1.3 million in difference — without the hourly rate in the agreement changing by a single krone.
How we do it
Our pricing model treats ground time as a variable, not a constant. It is built on mission profile, helicopter type and actual recorded rotor time from comparable missions — not a round number built into the calculation.
- Measured ground time, not a fixed surcharge per cycle
- Itemised quote — you see how many minutes of ground time are built in before you book
- Cross-operator comparison in the calculator, on the same basis
- Post-mission check — a report with actual flight time and ground time once the mission is complete
On missions with many cycles, actual ground time often lands at around half of the fixed surcharge.
Five questions to ask any helicopter supplier
Whoever you choose — ask these in writing, and get the answer in writing:
- How is flight time defined in the agreement? From rotor start, wheels-up, or departure from base?
- Is ground time billed as a fixed surcharge or by actual measurement? If fixed — how many minutes, per what?
- How many start-and-stop cycles does the quote assume?
- How is flight time documented afterwards? Do you get a printout, or just a final figure?
- What happens if the mission needs more stops than planned?
If you get good answers to all five, you have a supplier you can compare on price. If you don't, the hourly rate in the quote isn't comparable anyway.
A note for public sector buyers
State, county and municipal bodies procure significant volumes of helicopter services — emergency preparedness, powerline inspection, infrastructure, surveying. In practice, tender evaluation is almost always based on the stated hourly rate.
When the pricing basis isn't specified in the tender documents, bidders end up competing on a figure that doesn't determine the final bill. It's a simple fix: require that ground time and cycle calculation be specified in the bid, and that flight time be documented per mission.
We're happy to help draft such requirements — even where the mission ultimately goes to another supplier.
See also our complete pricing model, helicopter cargo lifting, and powerline inspection. For a deeper look at the same topic with a focus on tenders and procurement, see Heliwing's in-depth article for buyers.