The
Robinson Helicopter Company,
based at Zamperini Field in
Torrance, California, is the largest
manufacturer of civil
helicopters in North America. 14
November 2011, Robinson produced its
10,000th helicopter.
It was
founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson,
an ex-employee of Bell Helicopter
and The Hughes Helicopter Company.
Since delivering its first
helicopter in 1979, Robinson
Helicopter has produced over 10,000
aircraft.
Robinson currently produces three
models—the two-seat R22, the
four-seat R44, both of which use
Lycoming piston engines virtually
identical to those found in
fixed-wing general aviation
aircraft, such as the Cessna 172,
and the five seat R66 which uses a
turbine.
In March
2007, Robinson announced plans for
production of the Robinson R66, a
five-seat helicopter of similar
configuration to the R44, but with
the addition of a luggage
compartment, wider cabin (by 8
inches), and powered by a Rolls
Royce gas turbine engine.
In
December 2007, Robinson delivered
its 800th helicopter for the year, a
production record. The company was
the highest rated helicopter
manufacturer in
Rotor and
Wing
magazine's survey of operators.
In 2011, the
company produced 356 helicopters;
212 R44s, 88 R66s and 56 R22s,
compared to a total of 162 in 2010.
Source:
Wikipedia
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