How do the numbers work out for a restored B-25 operating giving rides?

$550 per seat for 1/2 hr. Say Minimum of four people per flight max 6.
Is 100 hrs per year achievable? Add in some paying training transition time.

Cost to overhaul and expected TBO vs a PT6 hot section and O/H at 3600 plus MX.
Fuel burn in ride use vs cruise between points.

The most profitable aircraft is someone else's aircraft.

Seems to be the secret to the aviation business

This might be a bit of a hare-brained idea, but I’ve wondered if this could pan out.

Let’s say you had a career that afforded you a nice, capable, cabin class plane. Say like a pressurized twin or Piper Meridian.

Now you’ve quit that job but the aircraft is fully paid for.

Could this person make a profitable run at a single-pilot 135 operation?

My understanding is the requirements are much less onerous and I’d guarantee Mx budget will be less costly with the owner flying the plane.

Based on my experience with the Air Power History Tour flying bombers is break even at best as long as all the pilots, ground crew and mx guys are working for free. Usually, the door payout is what tips the scale positive (and that’s only occasionally) we rarely if ever make positive cash flow on the flying ops.

I've wondered about this. If they tried instead of the tours which expose the airplane to weather and travel risks plus time between tour stops. Tours were great when you needed to get veterans up who were getting old and not traveling well. But now if break even or a loss is it making sense? I see where Yankee air museum the sold their Yankee Lady B-17 because any "Long term grounding" would sink the museum. Were they relying on the income from rides to keep the whole organization going?

Why is it not more common to operate out of home base with on site mx and hangar, tools parts, fuel and oil?

if scheduled for 25 days out of the year with 4 trips those days of 4 people at $550 it works out to $4400 hour x 100 hrs or $440,000.

100K in fuel. Yes insurance, hangar 1.6M purchase plus spare engine prop, tires, etc.
If so how do the numbers work if it's in a much smaller organization. But yes then it gets into experimental regs, non profits etc.

But to compare to a 350 king air for purchase cost, insurance, hangar, fuel, and say 400hrs a year with calendar Kingair things, big PT-6 mx all in with O/H cost long term.

Same to compare between a 350 and a DC-3 for the same hours flown per year how does it work out in 2026. Different missions but airframe to airframe for the same hours I'd be interested to know bottom line end of the year or 8 years in.

Sure the Kingair will start and go each cold morning and yep that is why the turbines win. But costs to costs... I remember our Beech 18 operating costs compared to what I see for the 90 Kingair now. Kingair is orders of magnitude more expensive to buy and keep flying. But I would not want to fly the twin Beech on the same trips low in the weather. They did it for many years though.

Minor problem: you can’t sell paid rides in an experimental aircraft, and as far as I know all B25s are experimental / exhibition.

The way that CAF and others get around this is through the “Living History Flight Exemption” but you have to be a non-profit to utilize the exemption.

In theory you could get a LODA for flight training in a B25 as a for profit entity and there are definitely people who have done this for warbirds.

Robert

Fairchild Metro III.

Beaver on floats and fly tourists

The Cartels have done well with many airplanes under $2M.

Given the exact wording of the original question this is probably, technically, the correct answer. Nicely done.

My EAA Chapter twice hosted the EAA B-17 Aluminum Overcast on 4 day tour stops, filling the airplane with riders paying $495 per seat every flight. The fuel was heavily discounted and the crews were put up by hotel sponsors, including crew cars furnished by a local dealer.

I remarked to the EAA HQ Air Tours Manager that Aluminum Overcast must be a money maker for EAA. She said no, Aluminum Overcast lost $250,000 that year. We hosted the EAA Tri-motor filling all the seats too. Then it went into maintenance for a million dollar wing replacement.

I think it would be hard to make money with a war bird, especially a small operator that wasn't a non-profit organization.

We'll see how EAA's Berlin Express B-25 does giving rides.

Yes it will be interesting how it goes with some B-17s needing major spar work to keep flying after all the cycles, exposure, hours. How long is the life expectancy for time cycles on the two B-29 main structure? Understood on the LODA and the restrictions. Just curious hour per hour how it breaks down.
I wonder how much that Ford Trimotor made gross giving rides in its lifetime before wing replacement. Net no idea but fun to calculate over that long of a service history.

Earlier 172s were mentioned.

I wondered about those also. In a College environment buying new airplanes at $600K each and renting for about $200 per hour. After costs say maybe $50 per hour goes towards the airplane purchase. 12,000 hrs to pay it off?

How do they do it?

2M is an interesting exercise. It buys a 30-40 year old turbine or several piston types.
None seem to make a lot of money even with that budget.

Yes, Aluminum Overcast has been down for spar replacement. Having 500,000 people go to EAA's Oshkosh Air Venture every year helps their bottom line.