Calculator 7 of 10 — inspection & audit days
Multi-site industrial day calculator
A helicopter changes a multi-site inspection day by removing the drive between sites, not by flying faster. Enter how many sites, the average hop between them and the time spent on the ground at each, and this calculator shows how many sites fit into the working day flown versus driven, and the indicative whole-aircraft cost of the day. Landing at each site depends on the site's own authorisation and a usable landing area.
This is the calculation behind most industrial inspection charters: three or four dispersed assets that take two days by road and one day by air. The comparison only holds if every site can actually accept an aircraft.
Mission inputs
The figures above are a preliminary planning estimate for the route, aircraft category and passenger count you entered. They reflect estimated flight time and typical market cost bands — not a live operator quotation. Only the licensed operator that flies the mission can confirm aircraft availability, landing permissions, operational feasibility and final pricing. Use this estimate to scope the trip, then send it to SkyMatch for a managed charter review.
Sites reachable in one day
4 flown vs 3 driven
Flown itinerary 5h 30m against 9h 00m driven.
Time saved across the day
3h 30m
Total flying
1h 30m
Indicative cost of the day
€5,150 – €8,300
Whole-aircraft, including ground standby.
- Every site landing needs the site's authorisation and a usable, obstacle-free area. Plant and refinery sites frequently do not permit on-site landings at all.
Preliminary estimate for planning purposes only — not a confirmed price, availability or booking. Final routing, operational feasibility and pricing must be confirmed by the selected licensed operator.
Turn this estimate into a mission request
The figures above are a planning frame, not an offer. Send the mission and SkyMatch reviews it, researches operators holding the relevant approvals and comes back with current options. Your inputs are carried across — nothing needs retyping.
What actually moves this number
- Ground time per site — usually the largest block, and the one that decides how many sites fit.
- Whether the aircraft waits on site or repositions, which changes the charged hours.
- Whether each site has an authorised, obstacle-free landing area.
- Daylight and crew duty across a long inspection day.
- The road baseline: this only pays where the drive is genuinely long.
What this tool does not decide
- Whether any suitable aircraft is genuinely available in the window — that is capacity, not arithmetic.
- Whether the destination accepts a landing, requires a hoist, or accepts only contracted operators.
- Whether weather, sea state, daylight and diversion planning support the timing on the day.
- Whether passenger training, medicals and site inductions are valid at the time of flight.
- The binding price. Operators quote; this tool frames the budget conversation.
SkyMatch Group is an independent helicopter charter broker and a human-reviewed mission platform. It does not operate aircraft. Every flight is performed by an independent licensed operator, and every introduction is approved by SkyMatch before it happens.
Frequently asked questions
Can the helicopter land at each site?
Only where the site authorises it and the area is suitable. Refineries, plants and live construction sites often require a nearby field or airfield and a short ground transfer instead.
Is the aircraft charged while it waits on site?
Yes. Crew and aircraft held on the ground are charged, which is why ground time per site drives the cost as much as the flying does.
Why is the cost shown as a band rather than a price?
Helicopters are chartered whole-aircraft, per mission. The final figure depends on which airframe is genuinely available, where it is based, positioning distance, standby and waiting, fuel and handling, permits and time of day. A band is honest at planning stage; a single number would not be.
Who confirms that this mission can actually happen?
The performing operator, together with the asset owner, site or vessel controlling the destination and the relevant authorities. They confirm aircraft, availability, permits, landing or hoist approval, weather limits and safety. SkyMatch structures and reviews the mission; it does not confirm operational facts.
Does this calculator book a helicopter?
No. It produces a planning estimate. SkyMatch Group is an independent broker and a human-reviewed mission platform: the request is reviewed, suitable licensed operators are researched, and an introduction happens only once SkyMatch approves it. Operators issue binding quotes and confirm feasibility.
Markets this calculator is built for
The same inputs, applied to the industrial regions where these missions actually run.
Related planning tools
Using an AI assistant, or buying through procurement?
SkyMatch is an independent helicopter charter broker and human-reviewed request platform. It does not operate aircraft and does not confirm availability, permits, landing permission, weather, route feasibility or final price — licensed operators do, after review. Estimates and directories on this site support research only.