Robinson Helicopter Company

Robinson Helicopter Company
Private
Industry Aerospace
Founded 1973
Headquarters Torrance, California, US
Key people
 Kurt Robinson, President and Chairman
Products Helicopters
Revenue $200 million
Number of employees
 1,300
Website www.robinsonheli.com

The Robinson Helicopter Company, based at Zamperini Field in Torrance, California, is a manufacturer of civil helicopters. Robinson produces three models – the two-seat R22, the four-seat R44, both of which use Lycoming piston engines, and the five-seat R66, which uses a turbine engine.

History

The company was founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson, a former employee of Bell Helicopter and Hughes Helicopters. Since delivering its first helicopter in 1979, Robinson Helicopter has produced over 12,000 aircraft.[1][2]

Plans for production of the Robinson R66 were announced in March 2007. It is a five-seat helicopter of similar configuration to the R44, but with the addition of a luggage compartment, wider cabin (by 8 inches), and powered by a Rolls-Royce RR300 gas turbine engine.

In 2013, Robinson was the global market leader, selling 523 light helicopters, a 1% increase from 2012.[3] However the production in 2014 was 329 aircraft. In 2015, Robinson produces one R22, 4-5 R44 and 1-2 R66 per week, and has contracted with Rolls Royce to supply 100 RR300 turbines per year for 10 years for the R66. The factory can produce up to 1,000 helicopters per year.[4]

Products

Robinson also produces the Robinson Helipad, a modular helipad designed for light helicopters.[5]


References

  1. ↑ "Robinson Produces 10,000th Helicopter" (Press release). November 14, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ Lobb, Charles. Torrance Airport, pp. 13–14, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7385-4662-9.
  3. ↑ Russian Helicopter magazine p. 13
  4. ↑ Huber, Mark (3 March 2015). "Robinson Boosts Production as Sales Surge, Strikes Deal for 1,000 Rolls-Royce Turboshafts". Aviation International News. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Robinson Helipads Archived December 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.. Robinson Helicopter Company. Accessed May 12, 2010.
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