Robinson Helicopter Company
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The Robinson Helicopter Company, based at Zamperini Field in Torrance, California, is an American helicopter manufacturer. Template:As of, 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 Rolls-Royce turbine engines. In March 2025, concept for the ten-seat R88, which uses the Safran Arriel 2W turbine, was announced.
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.<ref name="Robinson press release">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Lobb, Charles. Torrance Airport, pp. 13–14, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2006. Template:ISBN.</ref>
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 Template:Convert, 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.<ref>Russian Helicopter magazine p. 13</ref> Production in 2014 dropped to 329 aircraft. In 2015, Robinson produced one R22, four or five R44s, and one or two R66s per week, and 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.<ref name=ain2015-03-03>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2024, Robinson bought Ascent Aerosystems, a maker of drones for the government & military.<ref> Template:Cite press release</ref>
Products
Robinson also produces the Robinson Helipad, a modular helipad designed for light helicopters.<ref name="Robinson Helipads">Robinson Helipads Template:Webarchive. Robinson Helicopter Company. Accessed May 12, 2010.</ref>
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Robinson R22 Beta
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Robinson R44 Raven II
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Robinson R66 Turbine
Mast-bumping controversy
Mast bumping is a dangerous condition helicopters can encounter when load on the helicopter's rotor assembly is temporarily reduced during flight (for example, during a low-g maneuver or turbulent weather). The reduction of load triggers excessive flapping in the helicopter's rotor blades, which can cause the entire rotor assembly to shear off the aircraft.
Robinson helicopters use a patented design for their main rotor, with a triple-hinged rotor assembly "teetering" atop an extended mast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several Robinson helicopters have been destroyed in incidents where mast bumping was determined to have occurred.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A May 2018 article in the Los Angeles Times reported Robinson helicopters seemed to have increased susceptibility to mast-bumping incidents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2016, the New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) released a report summarizing 14 mast-bumping accidents or incidents involving Robinson helicopters in New Zealand, in which 18 people died.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The TAIC report noted that "Helicopters with semirigid, two-bladed main rotor systems, as used on Robinson helicopters, are particularly susceptible to mast bumping in "low-G" conditions".
In 2018, a U.S. lawsuit accused the Robinson Helicopter Company of defective manufacturing after a mast-bumping event caused the in-flight breakup of an R66 helicopter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>