Conklin & de Decker announced the release of their innovative LIFE CYCLE COST 2010 Volume 1 — the most comprehensive and easy-to-use aircraft budget and financial analysis tool available. LIFE CYCLE COST is part of a family of aircraft operating & acquisition products developed by Conklin & de Decker that provide extensive ownership and operating cost data for more than 375 jets, turboprops, helicopters and piston aircraft.
The LIFE CYCLE COST budgeting software puts all aspects of owning and operating an aircraft into one easy-to-use program. Aircraft acquisition costs, operating costs, taxes, final residual values and even revenues, if it is in commercial operations, are all included in this updated budgeting tool.
The latest update for this valuable tool includes new features that should either enhance or make your budgeting process more complete, –users can now

1. Print all three (3) reports (Financial Analysis, Budget Analysis & Residual Value) with the click of one button,
2. Turn off the Betterment/Detriment calculation when lease option is selected,
3. Turn off the Warranty Effect calculation, and
4. Select eight additional aircraft: Bell 206LT, Bell UH-1H, Eagle Copters Eagle 212 Single, Cessna Citation Mustang, Clifford FJ44 Citation II 550, Clifford FJ44 Citation S-II S550, Hawker Beechcraft King Air C90GTx and the Mooney M20R Ovation 3

In addition to the feature changes, fuel and maintenance costs, as well as aircraft acquisition prices have been updated.
In the 2009 version of LIFE CYCLE COST, Conklin & de Decker added CO₂ cost calculations for each aircraft; the ability to create or edit the starting point for recurring inspections that first occur later in an aircraft’s life (i.e. an inspection with a 1200-hour interval but does not occur for the first time until the aircraft has accumulated 2400 hours); the ability to change annual utilization for each year which enables the user to account for different total hours for each individual year; the ability to change annual charter hours for each year as well; the ability to turn on or off the effects of the aging curve calculations; and expanded the ability to recognize the value added tax (VAT).
In addition to the above changes, all costs are researched and updated in order for this tool to be a benchmark to measure your current actual costs against, such as salaries, fuel costs, hangar fees, insurance, all maintenance costs, and more.
The software is designed so that users can obtain a comprehensive analysis by simply selecting an aircraft type from a drop down menu. Users can expand the breadth of the analysis by quickly choosing different methods of acquisition (lease, finance, purchase, shared & fractional ownership), type of operation (corporate, commercial or managed), and depreciation schedules (5- or 7-year MACRS, straight-line, including a user-defined schedule). These simple selections populate the program with preloaded operating costs as researched by Conklin & de Decker. The preloaded data alone saves users numerous hours of research. However, the user can easily edit any of the pre-loaded costs and assumed flight hour estimates to modify the analysis to a specific situation and benchmark their costs against the Conklin & de Decker costs.
Output from the program can help the user in a variety of ways. The operations department will benefit from a 12-month budget analysis; or up-to a 20-year cost projection for variable and fixed costs. The program calculates the Net Present Value (NPV) and after-tax cash flow for a corporate or commercial program which will enable the finance department to quickly compare the net present value of different acquisition or disposition methods for multiple aircraft, while also learning more about the factors (betterment/detriment) that affect an aircraft’s value.
Running LIFE CYCLE COST requires a Windows PC with Microsoft Excel 97 or later. Mac users will experience limited program functionality with the Mac version of Excel. Microsoft Excel 97 or later for Windows is recommended for full program functionality. Database options include Jets, Turboprops, Helicopters, Pistons and the major US-based Fractional Ownership programs. Prices for the software (delivered in the US/Canada) are $695 for the jets database, $550 for the turboprop or helicopter database and $450 for the piston database. The Fractional database is free with the purchase of any other Life Cycle Cost database. A single aircraft version is also available. Users can specify from one to five aircraft and pay for only those aircraft that they need. Pricing is $225 for the first aircraft, with a 20% discount when ordering more than one aircraft.
Conklin & de Decker, celebrating 25 years in business, is a leader in aviation research, consulting and education with offices in Orleans, Massachusetts, Arlington, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. The company, founded in 1984, focuses on fixed- and rotary- wing aircraft operating cost, performance and specification databases, maintenance management software, financial management, fleet planning, market research, aviation tax issues, and financial, tax and management seminars. Conklin & de Decker consult with numerous individuals, corporations and government agencies worldwide. More information on their products and services, copies of articles published, and a unique “Members Only” section can be found on their website, www.conklindd.com.