Robinson Helicopter delivered its 13,000th helicopter—an R44 model, S/N 14438—to longtime Robinson dealer Sky Helicopters of Dallas, Texas on April 23rd. S/N 14438 features a new paint scheme and is equipped with the latest R44 options such as a Lithium-ion battery, heated seats, and a 4K cockpit video camera. The helicopter also includes glass panel avionics featuring the touchscreen Garmin G700 TXi and GTN 650Xi navigator, as well as a Genesys HeliSAS autopilot.
Sky president Ken Pyatt said he wanted a new-generation R44 to round out the company’s fleet. “We purchased this R44 for our Part 135 air taxi and tour operations,” he said. Sky has been a Robinson dealer since 1996 and this latest acquisition puts the company’s Robinson fleet at 27 aircraft.
Robinson delivered its first two-place R22 piston in 1979 and today still produces this model, in addition to the four-seat R44 piston and five-seat R66 turbine. Robinson delivered its 12,000th helicopter in 2017, 11,000th in 2013, and 10,000th in 2011. The company shipped 177 helicopters last year, but president Kurt Robinson told AIN that he expects deliveries in 2021 to surpass this number.