Robinson Helicopter CEO Kurt Robinson said the company is on track to deliver more than 300 helicopters this year, besting 2022’s total of 258. Through the first half of the year, Robinson delivered 161 aircraft, according to information from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
While some supply chain issues remain, Robinson said he expected virtually all of them to be resolved by early next year. “We continue to work through shortages, but we’re very pleased that the market is growing. Delays are less frequent, and I think by early next year they will be a thing of the past.”
The company also is working on updates to its factory pilot training program and plans to have more details on that early next year.
Last month, Robinson Helicopter received FAA certification for a new empennage on its R66 single-engine turbine helicopter. The redesigned empennage provides enhanced roll stability during high-speed flight and replaces the original 2,000-hour-TBO asymmetrical horizontal stabilizer with a 4,000-hour-TBO symmetrical horizontal stabilizer mounted on the tailcone, positioned forward of the original.
The empennage configuration is standard on all new-production R66s beginning with R66 S/N 1279. Robinson Helicopter is working with civil airworthiness authorities worldwide to obtain foreign validations and, once received, R66s destined for those markets will be delivered with the redesigned empennage. Plans also call for offering it as a retrofit kit.
“I think people will be excited by this modification, it’s a cleaner look for the aircraft,” said Kurt Robinson, who said the company worked on it “for quite a while.”
He stressed to AIN that the new stabilizer “does not alter in any way the authorized flight envelope of the R66,” especially with regard to high-speed flight, avoiding significant turbulence, and prohibitions on low-G maneuvers. However, “our pilots have found that the aircraft feels more stable at high speeds and in turbulence toward the outer ranges [of the approved flight envelope]. That is what you will notice.”
The stabilizer also makes the R66 less susceptible to mast bumping under certain conditions and the possible in-flight breakup that could result. The potential for mast bumping is inherent in two-bladed teetering main rotor designs.
This issue typically occurs in low-G conditions that can trigger aircraft rolling. An overly aggressive compensating movement of the cyclic by the pilot could cause the rotor hub to strike the mast. Mast bumping can also occur in turbulence.
“Everything we do is to try and increase safety,” Robinson said. He added that the new stabilizer on the R66 is the latest in a line of standard and optional safety enhancements added to the company’s helicopters. They include crash-resistant fuel cells, 4K cockpit video cameras, night vision goggle-compatible cockpits, and autopilots. He said a large number of aircraft are leaving the factory heavily optioned.
“What we’re finding is that more and more of our aircraft are going out of here fairly loaded with all the Garmin equipment and the autopilots. People are embracing the technology,” he said, estimating that a very well-equipped R66 carries a retail price tag in the $1.2 million range.