Today, Robinson Helicopter Company are famous for producing some of the most popular helicopters ever. Whilst all three of company’s helicopters produced to date have been incredibly successful, the Robinson R44 is by far the most popular.
Having been produced since 1990, Robinson have produced over 6,500 R44s to date, making it the most popular purpose-built civilian helicopter to date, and sixth most produced helicopter ever!
Pre-Robinson R44
Before R44, helicopters were nothing new. Indeed, famed Russian-American engineer, Igor Sikorsky, had flown the first helicopter – his VS-300 design – in May 1940.
Following this, several helicopters would be developed by Sikorsky and other engineers for the war effort (as the world was then engulfed in WWII). As a result, these helicopters were never designed for civilian use whatsoever.
Hoping to change this, Bell Aircraft designed what they called the Bell 47. Whilst primarily a helicopter trainer and light observation helicopter, it would be approved for civilian use by the FAA on March 6 1946, becoming the first civilian helicopter ever.
From here, a slew of other civilian helicopters would hit the market.
In 1973, Frank Robinson, a former engineer for Bell, Hughes Helicopters and Cessna, resigned from his job to start his own helicopter manufacturing company: Robinson Helicopter Company.
Working out his home office, Frank would design a low-cost, two-seat helicopter which he called the Robinson R22. Having a working design by early 1975, Frank would personally build the prototype and perform its first flight.
After numerous alterations, and months of rigorous flight testing by both Robinson Helicopter Company and aviation regulators, the R22 entered service in 1979 and proved to be quiet successful, with over 4,600 having been built to date!
By the mid-to-late 1980’s, the introduction of newer helicopters began to threaten the R22’s position as the most popular purpose-built civilian helicopter of its day.
Development
Not wanting to lose its market share – which had grown massively over the 1980’s – Robinson Helicopter Company chose to begin development of a new helicopter that could compete with these newer helicopters.
Taking the R22 as a base, owner and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company, Frank Robinson, would personally lead the development of this improved helicopter, with him designing much of the helicopter himself.
Development of the R22’s successor would formally commence in the late 1980’s, with it scheduled to enter service in the early-to-mid 1990’s.
Realizing that customers wanted a helicopter that was still cheap to operate, yet had the ability to carry up to four people (including the pilot), Robinson engineers would work on lengthening the R22’s fuselage.
Eager to keep operating costs low, Robinson engineers would pioneer the use of lightweight materials. This helped keep the weight of the R44 as low as possible, thus making it as fuel-efficient as possible.
Seeing that operators also wanted an extended range and faster cruising speeds, Robinson engineers would acquire more powerful Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, which were also more fuel-efficient too.
To improve yaw control, Robinson engineers reversed the tail rotor direction of rotation that was present on the R22.
Having a working prototype by early 1990, the Robinson R44 (as it would be known) would first fly on March 31 1990, before undergoing flight testing and receiving its type certification in December 1992.
Service History
After receiving its type certification, the first R44s would be delivered in January 1993. From here, the R44 has gone on to have a rather interesting service life…
General Aviation
Designed to be as cheap and easy to operate as possible, Frank Robinson hoped the R22’s successor would be as popular as the R22 was, with general aviation operators.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the R44 has proven to be incredibly successful with general aviation operators.
Thanks in large part to its extremely low cost to acquire, many somewhat wealthy general aviators (be it wealthy ex-military helicopter pilots or high-earning professionals such as lawyers) to acquire the R44 with cash or on finance.
Alternatively, a group of slightly less well-off general aviators can all chip in a fraction of the cost (such as 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 etc.) and fly it whenever they want – assuming its available of course.
Regardless, in general aviation ownership, the Robinson R44 is used to perform hundreds of flights per year, of varying lengths and types (eg. just a regular flight, aerobatics etc.) depending on what the owner wants.
Even in spite of the R44’s immense popularity, many general aviation pilots have begun to retire the helicopter in recent years in favor of newer helicopters like the R66, Sikorsky/Schweizer S333 and Enstrom 480.
In this case, the original R44 operator usually sells their R44 on the secondary market, often selling the R44 to yet another general aviator, or a group of general aviators, who then operate the R44 until replacing it with another helicopter.
Corporate
Although specifically designed to be a general aviation helicopter, the four-seat layout of the R44 has attracted a number of corporate operators for use as their corporate helicopter.
Here, the R44 is often used to transport a company’s C-Suite executive (CEO, COO, CFO etc.) between the company office, or the executive’s private residence, and the local airport where the company jet is hangared.
Depending on the route, the R44 can also be used on ultra short-haul routes instead of going by car or limousine, be it for comfort reasons (as traveling two hours in a helicopter is comfier than four in a car!) or time-saving (as the R44 is faster than a car) reasons.
Assuming that one of the executives is also a pilot, a company could reasonably transport its four highest-ranking executives, such as the owner, CEO (assuming they’re not the same person), CFO and COO all on one helicopter!
Though not as popular in corporate use than specifically designed corporate helicopters (such as the AW109, AW139 or S-76), the low operating costs of the R44 certainly appeals to those corporations looking to minimize costs as much as possible.
Whilst by no means the only corporate operator of the Robinson R44, by far the most significant is Frank Robinson – the founder of the Robinson Helicopter Company.
Despite being rich enough to easily afford to buy or charter a private jet, Frank instead prefers to use an R44 (or the R66 on longer-haul flights) instead of a private jet, believing it to actually save him more time in the long run.
Flight Training
Having been built to be as cheap and as easy to operate as possible – so much so that someone with only minimal training could fly it – many flight schools have acquired the Robinson R44.
Here, the simple layout of the R44’s cockpit and its relative ease of handling has seen many flight schools use it as a basic trainer, allowing those who’ve never flown a helicopter before to grasp the basics of how to fly a helicopter.
In this capacity, the R44 will only be occupied by the student and the instructor (despite being able to carry two more people) with the instructor demonstrating how to do something (eg. hover, land, climb etc.) before asking the student to do it for themselves.
Eventually, training will progress to the point where the student does most of the flying, with the instructor only intervening if it’s necessary. Depending on the flight school, the student pilot may even perform a few solo flights in the R44 too!
Although it varies from flight school to flight school, many use the R44 alongside other helicopters like the Enstrom F-28, R22 and R44 as a basic trainer, before progressing on to a much larger intermediate helicopter like an EC135 or H145.
In some cases, the F-28 and R22 will act as the basic trainer, with the R44 acting as the intermediate trainer. This is especially so with smaller flight schools, or those that want to lower their overhead costs as much as possible.
Even in a time when many operators are beginning to retire their R44 fleets in favor of newer helicopters, flight schools are clinging on to their R44s as tight as possible, refusing to let them go – much like their R22s.
News
In 1958, Los Angeles-based TV station, KTLA, acquired a Bell 47 helicopter and had their chief engineer, John D. Silva modify the helicopter to have an externally mounted TV camera for live broadcasts.
Whilst its first flight on July 3 1958 would fail due to a faulty vacuum tube, its second flight, which occurred the next day, would be a resounding success.
From here, many more TV stations would introduce their own news helicopters (sometimes known as “Telecopters) over the course of the late 1950’s and 1960’s.
Upon its introduction in 1979, many news stations acquired a purpose-built news variant of the R22, with it soon becoming one of the most popular variants of the helicopter.
When the R44 was introduced in 1993, many news stations eagerly awaited the introduction of a news helicopter variant of the R44, which would first be delivered in 1998.
Sadly, a change in how we consume media – mostly the rise of the internet and its associated e-media (such as blogs) – has seen the profits for TV stations plummet, with many of them being forced to ground their R44s indefinitely.
On a slightly related note, British journalist Richard Hammond is the proud owner of a 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II. Whilst this is privately owned by Hammond himself, he has used his R44 on several of the documentaries and TV shows he’s been on!
Military & Government
Yet it wasn’t just civilian operators who have been attracted to the Robinson R44. So have several military and government operators too!
For the most part, the R44 has found itself in military service, where it serves primarily as a basic helicopter trainer, teaching the basics of controlling a helicopter to people who’ve never flown a helicopter before.
Oftentimes, the R44 is paired alongside other helicopters (such as the R22, Enstrom F-28, or MD 500) to help teach recruits the basics, before they go onto an advanced trainer (such as the EC135 or H145) before the helicopter they’ll eventually fly!
Beyond its military service, the R44 is also employed by several policing agencies too.
Currently used by the Alaska State Troopers, Police of Uruguay, South African Police (Air Wing) and the Philippine National Police, the R44 serves primarily as a pursuit helicopter – following fleeing suspects where police cars and officers can’t.
Interestingly enough, the Polish government have also acquired several R44s to serve as trainers for the Ministry of Health’s air ambulance service. Although primarily a trainer, these R44s are equipped for MEDEVAC service when and if the need arises.
Over the past few years, the R44 has been deployed in MEDEVAC roles on several occasions when there no other helicopters available.
Beyond this, Russia’s Aerial Forest Protection Service also operate several R44s as paratrooper transports. When a forest fire breaks out, Russian paratroopers go up in the R44 before parachuting out over small villages near the fire.
Upon landing, their job is to inform the villages of the fire and evacuate them to safety before the fire reaches the village. At the same time, the service’s other aircraft are attempting to put out the fire.
Price
When the Robinson R22 was introduced in 1979, Frank Robinson hoped to acquire customers by selling a superior helicopter for less than its competitors. Evidently, this proved to be the right decision, as the R22 has sold over 4,600 times to date.
Despite spending millions of dollars developing the R22 into the R44, Frank Robinson never abandoned the philosophy that helped make the R22 so successful. In fact, the success of the R22 ensured Frank would use the same philosophy for the R44.
To that end, the Robinson R44 would have an initial price tag of $505,900, which has risen to around $900,000 today. Even today, the R44 remains one of the cheapest helicopters currently on the market!
Although you could buy a brand new R44 directly from Robinson Helicopter Company, the helicopter has been on the market since 1993, meaning that there are several currently on the secondary market if you wanted a cheaper option…
Currently, prices for used R44s range between $260,000 to $637,500 depending on several factors, such as age, total number of hours on the fuselage and the total number of landings the helicopter has done.
According to calculations done by Robinson Helicopter Company themselves, the Robinson R44 costs roughly $250 per hour to operate (assuming you fly it for 500 hours per year), similarly making it quite cheap!
Specifications
Owing to the fact that the R44 was derived from the R22, both helicopters naturally share some of the same physical specs. By the same token, as the base for the R66, both the R44 and R66 similarly share certain physical or technical specs.
As the original Robinson R44 proved to be quite popular, Robinson Helicopter Company would produce several other variants of the helicopter, with the most popular variant proving to be the R44 Raven II…
| Specification | Robinson R44 Raven II |
|---|---|
| Length | 38 ft 3 in (11.66 m) |
| Rotor Diameter | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Height | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
| Crew | 1 – 2 |
| Passengers | 3 – 2 |
| Cruise Speed | 200 km/h (130 mph; 110 kn) |
| Range | 560 km (350 mi; 300 nmi) |
| Service Ceiling | 14,000 ft (4,300 m) |
| Maximum Gross Weight | 2500 lb (1134 kg) |
Why is The Robinson R44 so Popular?
Having been produced continually since 1990, well over 6,500 Robinson R44 helicopters have been built to date, making it by far the most popular purpose-built civilian helicopter ever, and the sixth most popular helicopter ever.
So this begs the question, why has it been so successful?
To begin with, the R44 built on the foundation laid by the similarly popular R22. As its successor, Robinson Helicopter Company had over 4,000 customers (those who’d bought the R22) who were potentially looking for a new helicopter.
Whilst not all operators of the R22 were looking for a replacement, many were, giving Robinson a pre-existing customer base it didn’t have to acquire on its own.
Secondly, the R44’s success was down to its specs and pricing. If you wanted a light helicopter, the best helicopter from a technical point of view was the R44. The best from a price point of view? That was also the R44.
Perhaps not surprisingly, those looking for the best helicopter in its class purchased the Robinson R44, as did those looking for the best deal.
There’s also the fact that the R44 was incredibly diverse.
Due to how Robinson had designed the helicopter, it was incredibly easy for them to design and produce new variants for a wide array of customers. And by “easy” we actually mean “cheap” – savings that were then passed on to the customer!
How Safe is The Robinson R44?
In recent years, aviation safety as a whole – both for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft – has become a major focal point for aircraft manufacturers. So this begs the obvious question – how safe is the Robinson R44?
As of the time of writing, a little over 6,500 R44s have been built. Of those 6,500 R44s built to date, a total of 532 have been involved in an aviation-related accident of some kind, 198 of which have been fatal, resulting in 398 fatalities.
Put another way, 8.2% of all the R44s ever produced have been involved in an aviation-related accident of some kind! For a helicopter that’s the most popular one on the civilian market, that’s huge!
Looking at the accident reports, many of these accidents have bene due to pilot error. However, an equal amount of these crashes have been caused by issues with the R44 itself – and I’m not talking about poorly maintained R44s either.
In 2013, it was found that the R44’s fuel tank had serious structural defects.
Whilst not an issue inflight, in the event of a crash, these structural defects meant that the fuel tank would leak fuel, thus causing a fire which increases the likelihood of the crash being fatal.
As a result, Australia grounded their entire R44 fleet, whilst the FAA compelled Robinson Helicopter Company to install a newer, stronger fuel tank on all the R44s it had built up until then, as well as those it planned to build in the future.
Once this had been completed, Australia would allow their R44s to fly once again.
In 2015, the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (NZ CAA) thought it had discovered a defect in the P/N C016-7 rotor blade used on some R44s. For safety reasons, the NZ CAA grounded the country’s entire R44 fleet whilst it investigated the issue.
However, this proved to be a false alarm, and the entire fleet was ungrounded.
Legacy
Despite almost the entire R44 fleet still being in service as of the time of writing, the immense popularity (and the accompanying success) of the R44 has begun to form a massive legacy on the aviation industry as a whole – some of which we can begin to see today!
Robinson Helicopter Company
Prior to the introduction of the R22, the Robinson Helicopter Company was an unknown, newly-established helicopter manufacturer that nobody had heard of, and nobody took seriously.
Yet, with the introduction of the R22, pretty much everyone involved in the civilian helicopter market had heard of both the R22 and the Robinson Helicopter Company that built it. Yet there were people who choked Robinson’s success up to beginner’s luck.
With the introduction of the R44, and the subsequent avalanche of orders, those critics who said that Robinson’s success was just beginner’s, luck were forced to eat their own words.
Not only did this create a lot of good press for the company, but it also helped to make the R44 even more successful.
Thanks to the R44 being more successful, Robinson got more money for their entire R44 order, money that the company has reinvested into the company to design better (and hopefully even more successful!) helicopters.
Future Helicopter
Most famously, the success of the R44 would encourage the Robinson Helicopter Company to build a larger successor to the R44. First flown in 2007, this helicopter would enter service as the Robinson R66, which has also proven to be quite popular.
With the R44 serving as the base, Robinson engineers would heavily modify the R66 to accommodate a turbine engine (rather than the piston one found on the R44) which gives it a longer range and a faster cruising speed.
Beyond that, the success of the R44 also encouraged both McDonnell Douglas Helicopters and Bell Helicopters to produce newer variants of their famed MD 500 and Bell 206 helicopters to compete with the Robinson.
On a lesser note, the success of the R44 would encourage Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) to design and build the five-seat EC-120 Colibri, which was designed to be slightly larger than the R44 so it could attract Europe-based would be R44 operators.
What do you think of the Robinson R44? Have you ever flown on it? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Ponte1112 via Flickr.