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Robinson Sees Softening, Then Rebound in Sales

While 2019 sales went down, 2020 is off to a strong start.

Despite steady sales in the last part of 2019 and into 2020, total deliveries at Robinson Helicopter Company fell to 196 units for the year. This is a decline from 2018 and 2017 sales, which showed strong growth in 2017 and remained there for 2018.

The breakdown of models included 19 R22s, 123 R44s, and 54 R66s. In 2017, Robinson sold a total of 305 aircraft, including 174 of the R44 alone. In 2018, that total ticked up slightly, at 316—including 33 R22s, 209 R44s, and 74 R66s. The company nears the mark of 13,000 units sold.

The decline in 2019 was noted by Kurt Robinson as being across the board worldwide. Robinson, president and CEO of the company since 2010, recently hosted Flying for a visit, which will be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine. The company expresses optimism for 2020, as a “strong start” in sales has marked the beginning of the year, according to Robinson spokesperson Loretta Conley.

The company recently delivered two of its Electric News Gathering (ENG) models into key media markets in the United States—one R66 Newscopter and one R44 Newscopter via Sky Helicopters in Garland, Texas. The R66 will serve WTTG Fox, WUSA CBS, and WJLA ABC in the Washington, D.C. area, and the R44 will fly in support of WTVT Fox and WFTS ABS in Tampa, Florida. The platforms feature ENG cameras and broadcast equipment, and allow for the operators to work with several media outlets at the same time. To date, Robinson has delivered 80 ENG platforms in worldwide, including Brazil, Australia, and Canada.

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