This year marks the 40th anniversary of the certification and first delivery of the iconic Robinson R22, and the rotorcraft manufacturer is celebrating that milestone at Heli-Expo. The R22 was the company's first offering, and since the model first went on the market in 1979, Robinson has produced 4,800 of the light helicopters and more than 12,600 helicopters in total, making it among the most prolific civil helicopter airframers. At its booth (C2615) it is displaying one of its latest R22s in the same markings as the original test version, which company founder Frank Robinson (now chairman emeritus) flew in 1975 after just two hours of familiarity with the controls.
“We haven’t brought an R22 to the show in probably over 10 years,” said company president and CEO Kurt Robinson, "and it happens to be its 40th birthday, so we thought it would be fun to go ahead and display one.”
While the outside of this R22 is a throwback to Robinson’s past, the interior will feature technology undreamt of in 1979, including the company's latest option, the Avidyne IFD 440 GPS/COM, which comes standard with Wi-Fi and synthetic vision. The aircraft is also equipped with a pilot-side accessory bar designed to support personal devices, such as iPhones or iPads.
Like the other models in the Robinson line up, it will now also feature the Garmin 335 GTX transponder with ADS-B Out and WAAS GPS as standard equipment. “Here’s the big switchover that’s happening,” Robinson told AIN. “It’s required in 2020, but...we need to get set, so we’ve made that changeover on it.”
Also on display from the company is its flagship, the turbine-powered R66, equipped with air conditioning, heated seats, True Blue Power’s lightweight TB-17 lithium-ion battery, and a pilot-side accessory bar. Avionics includes Garmin’s 10.6-inch G500H 1060 TXi touchscreen display (with synthetic vision), GTN 750 GPS navigator, and Genesys’s HeliSAS autopilot. An iPad mounted on the pilot-side accessory bar, demonstrates the wireless connection to Garmin avionics.
Representing Robinson’s “middle range” is an R44 Raven II with Garmin’s seven-inch G500H 700L TXi (with synthetic vision), GTN 650 GPS navigator, and Genesys’s HeliSAS autopilot. The Raven II will also include air conditioning and the pilot-side accessory bar.
The Torrance, California OEM saw a slight rise in production year-over-year, delivering 316 helicopters in 2018, a boost of 11 from 2017. The U.S. and Australia, where the R22 is used for cattle mustering, were particularly strong markets for the company. As production increases, Robinson expects to boost the company’s second shift staffing in step.
“I’m optimistic in a lot of ways, because everywhere we hear there is a pilot shortage, and you can see the demand for pilots is very really high, not just here in the States, but all over we’re hearing that,” Robinson said. “I feel that where I’m seeing the demands for pilots, it will translate into aircraft, in particular when you have the R44 Cadet, which is specifically a training aircraft.”
To meet that anticipated demand, the company hopes to make a net gain of approximately 100 employees to its 1,100 staff by the end of the year, but Robinson says the aerospace labor pool, particularly in the Los Angeles area, is tight, forcing it to increase wages in order to attract talent. Hires over the past year have largely just covered retirements and other employee attrition. The company has also invested in new technology over the past year, including CNC broaching equipment and two new water jet cutting machines.
While Robinson is bullish in the short term, he acknowledges some fallout from the recent trade war with China, which has placed additional tariffs on light helicopter imports in retaliation. “When somebody adds a new tariff or tax or something, there’s always that waiting period of time while people wait to see if it's going to hold,” noted Robinson. “They want to wait on their order, but if it becomes permanent or looks like it's not going to change, then they have to go ahead and make the decision although its obviously just increased the price of the product.”