Robinson Helicopter

Kurt Robinson, president of Robinson Helicopter and son of founder Frank Robinson, said the FAA was well represented Monday among the 300 attending certification ceremonies for the company’s new turbine-powered R66. He said, “A lot of the FAA guys were saying, ‘We used to do this all the time, but now, certifying a new aircraft […]

Many years ago the author Richard Bach, then writing for Flying, proposed that the solution for a pilot who had flown into a box canyon and could not turn between its walls was to pull up into a vertical climb, perform a stall turn and recover going in the other direction. Pilots who had never […]

At a press conference at this year’s Helicopter Association International (HAI) Convention in Houston, Robinson Helicopter CEO Frank Robinson gave a progress report on the company’s eagerly awaited R66 turbine helicopter, and the news is good. The program is on track for certification — in fact, there’s a chance it will be approved by the […]

Robinson Helicopter has begun accepting $75,000 deposits for its Rolls-Royce turboshaft-powered R66. First flown in 2007, the R66 is in the process of FAA certification, and the company reports it will not assign serial numbers or delivery dates until that certification is received. Base price of the R66 with standard equipment is $770,000. The R66 […]

Best known for offering adventure rides in vintage military aircraft, Warbird Adventures, Kissimmee, Florida, now offers flight instruction in Robinson R44 rotorcraft at as little as $340 per hour, including the cost of the instructor. Introductory flights are available for as little as $125 (for 15 minutes). DVD recordings of the flight experience are available. […]

Someone once told me that aircraft accidents happen every 5,000 hours during a pilot’s flying career. Well, mine came at 6,000 hours rather than 5,000. I have been flying small airplanes and helicopters since I was a teenager. My life has been pretty much the epitome of “will fly for food.” Stints as a police […]

Robinson Helicopter has been building its piston-powered helicopters in Torrance, California, for decades. Because they build so many of the parts that go into their aircraft, as opposed to most manufacturers who contract out many subassemblies, Robinson employs a lot of workers and uses a lot of factory floor space. The result is a busy […]