Airbus Helicopters H125 vs Bell 505 Jetranger X vs Enstrom Helicotper 280fx Shark vs Enstrom Helicotper 480b G vs Leonardo Aw119kx vs Leonardo Sh09 vs Md Helicopters Md 500e vs Md Helicopters Md 520n vs Md Helicopters Md 530f vs Md Helicopters Md 600n vs Robinson Helicopters R22 Beta Ii vs Robinson Helicopters R44 Raven I vs Robinson
Commercial aircraft are often compared by category, which strongly influences both range and passenger capacity. Narrow-body jets, used for short to medium routes, typically seat about 120 to 240 passengers and are optimized for high-frequency service between regional and domestic hubs, with ranges that commonly span roughly 2,000 to 4,000 nautical miles depending on variant and payload. Wide-body jets serve longer routes and higher-demand markets, usually carrying about 250 to 400 passengers in typical airline layouts, with long-haul ranges frequently around 6,000 to 8,500 nautical miles, enabling intercontinental nonstop flights. Very large wide-bodies, produced in smaller numbers today, prioritize capacity over flexibility and can exceed 450 passengers in dense configurations, while still offering long-haul range suitable for major hub-to-hub routes. At the smaller end, regional jets and turboprops cover short sectors efficiently, generally seating about 30 to 100 passengers with ranges often near 800 to 2,000 nautical miles, trading speed and capacity for lower trip costs and better performance at smaller airports.
| Spec | AIRBUS H125 | Bell 505 JetRanger X | AGUSTA / LEONARDO AW119Kx | AGUSTA / LEONARDO SH09 | MD Helicopters MD 500E | MD Helicopters MD 520N | MD Helicopters MD 530F | MD Helicopters MD 600N | ROBINSON R22 Beta II | ROBINSON R44 Raven I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | ||||||||||
| Cockpit | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — |
| DOC / nm | $ 4.61 | $ 3.53 | $ 6.76 | $4.48 | $ 2.95 | $ 3.38 | $ 3.59 | $ 4.06 | $ 1.80 | $ 2.30 |
| Min Crew | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Total Seats | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Flight Rules | VFR | VFR | VFR | VFR | VFR | VFR | VFR | VFR | VFR | VFR |
| Manufacturer | Airbus Helicopters | Bell | Leonardo | Leonardo | MD Helicotpers | MD Helicotpers | MD Helicotpers | MD Helicotpers | Robinson Helicopters | Robinson Helicopters |
| Aircraft Name | H125 | 505 JetRanger X | AW119Kx | SH09 | MD 500E | MD 520N | MD 530F | MD 600N | R22 Beta II | R44 Raven I |
| Certification | FAA / EASA | FAA / EASA | FAA / EASA | In-Development | FAA / EASA | FAA / EASA | FAA / EASA | FAA / EASA | FAA / EASA | FAA / EASA |
| Max Range (nm) | 341 | 306 | 515 | 430 | 258 | 210 | 216 | 341 | 250 | 300 |
| DOC / nm / Seat | $ 0.77 | $ 0.71 | $ 0.84 | $0.56 | $ 0.74 | $ 0.85 | $ 0.90 | $ 0.68 | $ 0.90 | $ 0.57 |
| Max Cabin Seats | 5 | — | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | — | — |
| OEM Verification | VERIFIED | VERIFIED | Un-Verified | Un-Verified | Un-Verified | Un-Verified | Un-Verified | Un-Verified | Un-Verified | Un-Verified |
| Useful Load (lbs) | 2189 | 1500 | — | — | 1483 | 1764 | 1509 | 2000 | 490 | 950 |
| Standard Cabin Seats | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | — | — |
| Direct Operating Cost | $ 627 | $ 441 | $ 885 | $627 | $ 398 | $ 416 | $ 480 | $ 545 | $ 173 | $ 248 |
| Flight Deck (Base Spec) | Garmin G500H | Garmin G1000H | Garmin G1000H | EFIS | Gyro / Analog | Gyro / Analog | Garmin G500H | Gyro / Analog | Gyro / Analog | Gyro / Analog |
| Max Cruise Speed (ktas) | 136 | 125 | 131 | 140 | 135 | 123 | 134 | 134 | 96 | 108 |
| Base Aircraft Price (USD) | $3,200,000 | $1,445,000 | $3,850,000 | $3,500,000 | $ 2,750,000 | $ 2,900,000 | $ 3,400,000 | $3,400,000 | $ 312,000 | $ 412,000 |
| Max Passengers | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cabin | ||||||||||
| Cockpit | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — |
| Min Crew | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Total Seats | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Max Cabin Seats | 5 | — | 6 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | — | — |
| Standard Cabin Seats | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | — | — |
| Engine | ||||||||||
| FADEC | Yes | Dual-Channel | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Model | Arriel 2D | Arrius 2R | PT6B-37A | HTS 900 | 250-C20B | 250-C20R | 250-C30 | 250-C47 | O-360 | O-540 |
| Fuel Type | JetFuel | JetFuel | JetFuel | JetFuel | JetFuel | JetFuel | JetFuel | JetFuel | AvGas | AvGas |
| TBO (hrs) | 5000 | 4000 | 4500 | 5500 | 3500 | 3500 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2200 |
| Horsepower | 847 | 505 | 917 | 1020 | 420 | 450 | 650 | 715 | 131 | 225 |
| No. of Engines | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fuel Capacity (gal) | 143 | 84.85 | 160 | — | 64 | 64 | 64 | 118 | 115 | 29.5 |
| Fuel Burn (gph) | — | 32.3 | — | — | 35 | 35 | 35 | 41 | — | — |
| TBO (yrs) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 12 |
| Fuel Delivery | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Carbureted | Carbureted |
| Dimensions | ||||||||||
| Length (ft) | 42.5 | 42.48 | 42.5 | — | 30.9 | 31.4 | 32.2 | 36.9 | 28.5 | 38.3 |
| Overall Height (ft) | 10 | 10.65 | 11.9 | — | 8.7 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 8.8 | 10.8 |
| Rotor Diameter (ft) | 36.1 | 37 | 35.5 | — | 26.4 | 27.4 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 25.2 | 33 |
| Width (ft) | — | 6.51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cabin Width (ft) | — | 4.66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cabin Height (ft) | — | 2.75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cabin Length (ft) | — | 7.17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cabin Volume (cu. ft) | — | 137 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Baggage Volume Ext. (cu. ft) | — | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Baggage Volume Int. (cu. ft) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.5 | 2.5 |