Aircraft model
HELIO H-295
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Helio Super Courier is the most extreme short-field aeroplane ever certified in its class: automatic leading-edge slats, full-span slotted flaps and interceptors in place of conventional ailerons give it a stall speed around 30 knots and the ability to take off in 600 feet and land in less. It carries six people and 1,320 lb.
It was used by the CIA and by missionary and bush operators for exactly that capability. The complications are real. The Lycoming GO-480 is a geared engine — like the Cessna 175's, it must be run at high rpm and is unforgiving of being operated slowly, with expensive consequences. The automatic slats and the interceptor control system are unlike anything else and need a mechanic who understands them. The fleet is small and support runs through specialists.
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Put HELIO H-295 side by side with up to two other models.
- HELIO H-295
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming GO-480-G1D6 |
| Horsepower | 295 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1965 |
| Production end | 1976 |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 145 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 20,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,150 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 30 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 610 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 520 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,320 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 600 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,080 lb |
| Usable fuel | 120 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16.5 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $130,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $350,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,400 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $45,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $78,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 140 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 54 |
| Median year built | 1968.5 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 129.63 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 55.56 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 17 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 31.48 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 54 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 54 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 54 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 0.8 of 103 |
| Support | 4.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 9.2 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 38.14 · 75 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,826.5.
- Support: class median 74.
- Liquidity: class median 17.96.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.