{
  "slug": "aircraft-ownership-cost-per-hour",
  "title": "Aircraft Ownership Cost Per Hour Calculator",
  "heading": "Aircraft Ownership Hourly Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-ownership-cost-per-hour",
  "summary": "True cost per flight hour once fixed and variable costs are combined.",
  "description": "Owners chronically underestimate cost per hour because they only track fuel and oil. The real number blends fixed costs you pay whether you fly or not (tie-down/hangar, insurance, annual inspection, loan payment, state registration) with variable costs that scale with usage (fuel, oil, engine and prop reserves, routine maintenance). This calculator spreads fixed costs across your expected annual hours and adds variable cost per hour to give a defensible all-in number, the one you should compare against renting or chartering before assuming ownership is cheaper.",
  "formula": "Hourly cost = (annual fixed costs ÷ annual hours flown) + variable cost per hour, where variable cost per hour = fuel burn × fuel price + oil + maintenance reserve + engine/prop reserve.",
  "dateModified": "2026-10-01",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=aircraft-ownership-cost-per-hour",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "fixedAnnual",
      "label": "Annual fixed costs",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": "Hangar/tie-down, insurance, annual inspection, loan, registration",
      "default": 14000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hoursYear",
      "label": "Hours flown per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 100,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelBurn",
      "label": "Fuel burn",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": "gal/hr",
      "min": 0.5,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelPrice",
      "label": "Fuel price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6.2,
      "unit": "$/gal",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "engineReserve",
      "label": "Engine/prop overhaul reserve",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 22,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "maintReserve",
      "label": "Routine maintenance reserve",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "totalPerHour",
      "label": "All-in cost per hour",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "fixedPerHour",
      "label": "Fixed cost per hour",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "variablePerHour",
      "label": "Variable cost per hour",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelCost",
      "label": "Fuel cost per hour",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "annualTotal",
      "label": "Total annual cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Annual fixed costs: 14000 $",
      "Hours flown per year: 100",
      "Fuel burn: 10 gal/hr",
      "Fuel price: 6.2 $/gal",
      "Engine/prop overhaul reserve: 22 $/hr",
      "Routine maintenance reserve: 15 $/hr"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "All-in cost per hour: $239.00",
      "Fixed cost per hour: $140.00",
      "Variable cost per hour: $99.00",
      "Fuel cost per hour: $62.00",
      "Total annual cost: $23,900"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter annual fixed costs ($) — Hangar/tie-down, insurance, annual inspection, loan, registration.",
      "Enter hours flown per year.",
      "Enter fuel burn (gal/hr).",
      "Enter fuel price ($/gal).",
      "Enter engine/prop overhaul reserve ($/hr).",
      "Enter routine maintenance reserve ($/hr).",
      "Read your all-in cost per hour on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "fixedAnnual": 8400,
        "hoursYear": 60,
        "fuelBurn": 6,
        "fuelPrice": 3.7199999999999998,
        "engineReserve": 13,
        "maintReserve": 9
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "fixedAnnual": 14000,
        "hoursYear": 100,
        "fuelBurn": 10,
        "fuelPrice": 6.2,
        "engineReserve": 22,
        "maintReserve": 15
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "fixedAnnual": 22400,
        "hoursYear": 160,
        "fuelBurn": 16,
        "fuelPrice": 9.920000000000002,
        "engineReserve": 35,
        "maintReserve": 24
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why does hours flown per year matter so much?",
      "a": "Fixed costs don't change whether you fly 50 or 200 hours, so spreading a $14,000 fixed bill over 50 hours adds $280/hr while 200 hours adds only $70/hr. This is why low-utilization owners often find renting cheaper and why partnerships exist — more hours flown per airframe drives fixed cost per hour down fast."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's a reasonable engine reserve number?",
      "a": "For a typical Lycoming or Continental four-cylinder with a $25,000–$35,000 overhaul at 2,000 hours TBO, that's $12.50–$17.50/hr just for the core. Add prop overhaul reserve and unscheduled top-end work and $20–$25/hr total is a realistic conservative figure for most legacy piston singles."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I include the loan payment as fixed or ignore it?",
      "a": "Include it if you're comparing ownership to renting since renting has no debt service. If you're comparing to a cash-purchase scenario or just tracking marginal flying cost, drop the loan payment and use opportunity cost of capital instead — roughly 4-6% of aircraft value annually."
    },
    {
      "q": "How does this differ from resale value loss?",
      "a": "This calculator ignores depreciation entirely because it's a cash-flow tool, not a total cost of ownership tool. A separate depreciation calculation is needed if you want to capture the value the airplane loses each year on top of operating cash outlays."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wet-dry-rental-breakeven",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-partnership-cost-share",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/engine-reserve-fund"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Aircraft Ownership Cost Per Hour Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-ownership-cost-per-hour)"
}