Chances are anyone who owns, operates or maintains a Robinson helicopter has either spoken with the 2015 winner of the Rolls-Royce Excellence in Helicopter Maintenance award or read some of his work.
Patrick Cox is the director of product support for Robinson Helicopter and is a prominent figure in the development of the technical aspects of all three of the company’s models: the R22, R44 and R66. He co-authored the maintenance manuals for both the R44 and the R66 and has developed many of the procedures, techniques and special tools for all three models.
Though Cox has distinguished himself in the hands-on aspect of developing and maintaining his employer’s products, he is also an inveterate teacher and has taught more than 3,000 maintenance technicians to qualify them to work on R22s and R44s. And as many of the testimonials supporting his nomination for the award noted, he is always available to help a mechanic, no matter where in the world they might be working. The underlying reason for Patrick Cox’s success is he doesn’t view what he does as his job; it’s his life.
“I had numerous lucky breaks,” Cox told AIN. “The die was cast when my parents gave me an erector set when I was still a toddler, as I had shown an aptitude for mechanical things. Later, as a four-year old, in 1963, my uncle sat me on his lap while he piloted his Bonanza.From then on I would never miss an opportunity to fly with him until I obtained my own pilot certificate after graduating high school.”
Cox grew up on a family farm in North Dakota and attributes the experiences he gained living that life as a significant influence. “It was my college,” he said. “My grandfather had a machine shop in his basement my three uncles, in addition to being farmers, were all engineers, and my aunt was head reference librarian for a university. Combining all these Depression-era characters with an impressionable, energetic boy willing to do what he was told and desirous of learning was a recipe for a successful, multi-discipline education.Also, perhaps because of the remoteness of our farm, safety was constantly emphasized.”
In 1968 Cox had his first helicopter ride, in a Sikorsky S-61 operated by Los Angeles Airways from Los Angeles to the Disneyland heliport. “That was it, I was enthralled,” he said. After high school, while working line service at an airport to raise money for flying lessons, a friend introduced Cox to Doug Hillman who was working with Rudy Enstrom to certify a light, two-seat piston-powered helicopter. They hired Cox to work for them as a part-time employee.
“Doug had trouble raising capital for the project and they never were able to pay me, but I learned a lot and I really enjoyed working on aircraft,” he said. “After being an unpaid worker for a while I decided I needed a more reliable income and apprenticed at a corporate flight department, which operated two Rolls-Royce-powered Gulfstream business jets. The steady income also allowed me to begin helicopter flying lessons in the R22; it was serial number 0004!”
Upon completing his apprenticeship, Cox earned his Airframe and Powerplant mechanic’s certificate and went job hunting. “Herb Kelleher personally offered me a job with Southwest Airlines, which was in expansion mode at the time, but I wanted to work with helicopters. I moved to Scottsdale airport and contracted my services to local business-jet and helicopter operators including the helicopter flight school where I learned to fly the R22.I ended up becoming their director of maintenance and at one point maintained 18 helicopters by myself with a dispatch reliability of 98 percent.”
Amassing significant experience with Robinson helicopters and regularly working closely with Robinson Helicopter, Cox received a job offer from Frank Robinson at the company’s headquarters in Torrance, Calif. in 1990. “I have been a mechanic, inspector, technical writer, maintenance instructor, technical representative, engineering liaison, expert witness and ever a safety advocate,” he said.“I get to fly and work with very talented people both here and around the world and I enjoy it immensely. I have been very fortunate and I am humbled by Rolls-Royce’s award.”
Cox continues to make himself accessible to operators all over the world and has built a well-deserved reputation as the number-one person for Robinson mechanics to turn to for technical advice and solutions. In the rare moments when he isn’t designing, developing or teaching, he commutes to the family farm in his Cessna Skywagon.