The R44 is a single-engined helicopter with a semi-rigid two-bladed main rotor, a two-bladed tail rotor and a skid landing gear. In my near half-century of aviation experience, RHC is the only aircraft manufacturer I have found in the world that does not focus on safety, he wrote in a report filed with a lawsuit stemming from a New Jersey crash. Docket No. From a numbers standpoint, it worked. A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. These were eventually attributed to pilot error. The company delivered 384 R22's in 1990; sales were $48 million. The R44 has been the world's best-selling general aviation (GA . R44 Clipper II Fixed. The NTSB blamed the November 2012 accident on his failure to clear the overhang. ", "Nobody could show him how to do it, he just had to do it.". America's . That image stuck with Robinson and drove the course of his career and life. He planned to commute to work in his R44. [7] Several Robinson helicopters have been destroyed in incidents where mast bumping was determined to have occurred. With its four-seat capacity, the R44 was expected to sell well in the executive aircraft market. "That's just amazing to me. She formerly worked as the Torrance/Carson reporter for the Daily Breeze and as a city hall reporter for the Santa Monica Daily Press. Frank Robinson, founder of Torrance's Robinson Helicopter Company, dies It produces a greater number of civil helicopters per year than any other manufacturer, and 80 percent of those made in the United States. It has an enclosed cabin with two rows of side-by-side seating for a pilot and three passengers. The company currently has over 1,000 employees in its Torrance headquarters. An owner/operator (pilot) holding at least a private pilot certificate may perform this proposed check and would have to enter compliance with the applicable paragraph of this proposed AD in the helicopter maintenance records in accordance with 14 CFR 43.9(a) and 91.417(a)(2)(v). on Driven by foreign sales, production was soon returning to normal. Family-owned Robinson Helicopter Co. disputed The Times analysis, contending that the FAA undercounts the flight hours for the R44, leading to an inflated accident rate. FAA-2022-0872; Project Identifier AD-2022-00431-R at the beginning of your comments. TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 12, 2022 Robinson Helicopter Company bid a final farewell to its founder, Frank Robinson.Robinson, 92, passed away peacefully at his . Russia was another important new territory. Robinson would also look close to home for key staff. Without data, you are at a loss. Robinson brought out a special police-oriented variant of the R44 in mid-1997. Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. "And he got in the helicopter and he actually hovered it, which is very impressive. From 1981 through early 1992, about two dozen R22s were involved in fatal U.S. crashes linked to a loss of control. I mean, that's somebody just learning how to fly," said Kurt. If you or a member of your family have suffered injuries or wrongful death in a Robinson helicopter crash or another type of aviation accident, our lawyers can work with you to identify the liable parties and pursue financial compensation. It is such a double-edged sword with this company, Akbari said. Robinson was also a visionary and a veritable aviation rock star, who racked up accolades over the course of his five-decade career. Additional information is available in this. by the Securities and Exchange Commission Initial financing was in the $2 to $3 million range. This was the largest-scale grounding of any aircraft in New Zealand's history. If sending information directly to the manager of the certification office, send it to the attention of the person identified in paragraph (j) of this AD. AD 2021-19-08 requires checking each blade for any crack and removing any cracked blade from service. Subtitle I, Section 106, describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. The FAA Is Under Pressure to Ground Robinson Helicopter,", Flint, Jerry, "The Bird Man of Torrance,", "Foreign Helicopter Giants Vie for Chinese Market,", "Frank Robinson Donates $1 Million to Helicopter Museum,", Jones, Sam L., "Robinson Maintains Its Niche for Piston-Powered 'Copters,", Lambert, Mark, "Civil Helicopters; 1984 Is the Year of Change,", ------, "Hard Times, But Some Hope for the Helicopter Men,", Lewis, Paul, "Annual Sales: Output Slumps as Economies Slow,", Morris, John, "Little Growth Forecast for Helicopter Deliveries,", Pae, Peter, "Flying High with Modest Venture; Robinson Becomes Top-Selling Maker of Civilian Copters by Sticking to Its Mom-and-Pop Origins,", Parke, Robert B., "FAA Limits Robinson Flight Operations,", Phillips, Edward H., "NTSB Urges FAA to Ground R22/R44 Helicopters,", ------, "Robinson, Federal Agencies at Odds Over R44, R22 Issues,", ------, "R22 Main Rotor Focus of NTSB Report,", "Robinson Helicopter: The Discipline of the Marketplace,", Sarsfield, Kate, "Hydraulic Controls Prove Big Hit for R44 Sales,", ------, "Order Surge Fuels Robinson's Plans for Expansion,", ------, "Robinson Considers New Engine for Popular R44,", Scott, William B., "Reliability, Low Operating Costs Key to Robinson R-44 Sales,", Smith, Bruce A., "Robinson Helicopter's R44 to Offer Greater Capacity, Speed Than R22,", Sweetman, Bill, "US Manufacturers Get Their House in Order,", Swertlow, Frank, "Choppers on the Cheap,", Vartabedian, Ralph, "Low-Cost Copter Builder Tops Sales of Big-Name Rivals,", ------, "Robinson Helicopters Taking Off,", Wastnage, Justin, "Upgraded Raven Goes on Sale,". Adding the following new airworthiness directive: Robinson Helicopter Company: documents in the last year, 494 The R22 would eventually dominate the world helicopter trainer market. Robinson Helicopter Company - Wikipedia FAA-2022-0872; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. This AD applies to Robinson Helicopter Company Model R44 and R44 II helicopters, certificated in any category, with an Start Printed Page 14413 agricultural spray system installed by Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SR00286BO with spray systems serial-numbered 0045 through 0178 inclusive, installed. In 2013, Robinson was the global market leader, selling 523 light helicopters, a 1% increase from 2012. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. The prevailing opinion, at the time, was that helicopter market was for the military only. This document has been published in the Federal Register. He handled everything as an engineering problem and something to solve.. "Not the president of Robinson Helicopter, not the founder, he was an engineer. Developed from the R22, the R44 made its debut in 1993 and is now the companys most popular model, largely because it can carry more passengers. He also argued that the vast majority of Robinson accidents are the fault of pilots not the machine and that many are students or hobbyists with little time at the controls. These helicopters are all manufactured, assembled, inspected, and tested at the Torrance, California factory. Both of these service bulletins are dated January 6, 2022 and specify that a preflight inspection is to be performed by the pilot for continued operation until the affected blades are replaced. documents in the last year, 19 The cause has yet to be determined, but the type of helicopter is well known to accident investigators: the Robinson R44. Crashes of Robinson helicopters have killed 176 people to date. documents in the last year, 1407 In Robinsons, it has been catastrophic: Rotor systems break off or the blades cut into cockpits or tail booms, according to aviation experts and incident reports by U.S. and foreign accident investigators. documents in the last year, 9 His family settled out of court with the company. These include, but are in not limited to, induction into the California Aviation Hall of Fame, induction into the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Lifetime Aviation Engineering Award from the Living Legends of Aviation, the Daniel Guggenheim Medal from the American Helicopter Society, and the Howard Hughes Memorial Award from the Southern California Aeronautic Association. The President of the United States manages the operations of the Executive branch of Government through Executive orders. Aviation consultant William Lawrence, a retired Marine Corps colonel and helicopter test pilot and instructor who has testified as a paid expert against Robinson Helicopter Co. in a dozen lawsuits, contends the company willfully ignores safety issues to avoid liability. While California's giant military aerospace firms idled plants after the fall of the Soviet Union, Robinson Helicopter was thriving. Robinson was also a major figures of the Torrance and Palos Verdes communities, and played an integral role in putting Torrances aviation industry on the map. [26], Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era, "2013 General Aviation Statistical Databook & 2014 Industry Outlook", General Aviation Manufacturers Association, "Robinson Introduces the Two-Place R44 Cadet", "Robinson Helicopter upbeat on diesel R&D with R44 Raven II", "Crash of helicopter on Catalina is fourth fatal accident of this model since April", "Lebanese Army Takes Delivery of Two More Robinsons", "PNP gets 3 Raven choppers for anti-crime operations", "Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe Przekazanie samolotw i migowcw szkoleniowych dla LPR", " " "" "", "South Africa Combats Crime with R44 Raven II Police Helicopters", "Down one search-and-rescue helicopter, Alaska State Troopers reorganize", "Uruguay suma helicpteros estadounidenses a la polica para reforzar la vigilancia", Collision with terrain involving Robinson R44 helicopter, VH-HWQ, Preliminary, Prohibition of FlightC016-7 Main Rotor Blades, "Australia, New Zealand Ground Some R-44s", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robinson_R44&oldid=1148577372, This page was last edited on 7 April 2023, at 01:19. The FAA reviewed Robinson R44 Service Bulletin SB-108, dated June 30, 2021. rendition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov does not Some pilots or their surviving family members said they were stunned to learn after accidents of the R44s safety issues, and they questioned why regulators had not taken stronger action. AD 2021-19-08 also requires removing all affected blades from service and prohibits installing any affected blade on any helicopter. Nov. 13TORRANCE Aviation visionary and South Bay legend Frank Robinson has died at 92. leaving behind six children, a company of over 1,000 employees and a forever changed helicopter industry. None were wearing fire-resistant gear. Then on June 29, 1992, near Richmond, Calif., another R22 broke up, killing the pilot and his flight student. The R44 also boasted low operating costs and required less frequent servicing than typical helicopters. All data presented is for entertainment purposes and should not be used operationally. Source Daily Breeze, Torrance, Calif. (TNS). R22 Beta II. on In August 1985, the company introduced the Beta model of the R22, featuring advanced avionics. You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods: The Robinson R44, the worlds best-selling civilian helicopter, has a long history of deadly crashes. Spidertacks and Black Widow Helicopters Announce Partnership, MD Helicopters Announces Supplier Agreements Bolstering Parts Availability, Could Surveillance Drones Save the Army Chopper? It does not retain records related to helicopter accidents or other types of incidents.