TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On November 12, 2022 Robinson Helicopter Company bid a closing farewell to its founder, Frank Robinson. Robinson, 92, handed away peacefully at his Rolling Hills, California residence.
One of probably the most recognizable names within the helicopter business, Frank Robinson was a pioneer, a person not pushed by reward or accolades however by a imaginative and prescient that redefined the business and ceaselessly modified normal aviation.
Robinson can be remembered for the design and manufacture of the R22, R44, and R66 mannequin helicopters. Known for his or her simplicity and reliability, the favored helicopters have a definite profile and will be noticed simply and steadily all around the world.
Robinson’s fascination with helicopters started in 1939, at age 9, when he noticed an image within the Seattle Post-Intelligencer of Igor Sikorsky hovering his VS-300 helicopter, a picture that captivated Robinson and set the course for his life’s work.
He earned a BSME diploma from the University of Washington, later attending Wichita State University’s graduate aeronautical engineering college. His profession started within the late ’50s with Cessna and continued by way of the ’60s working for a lot of main aerospace firms, together with Bell and Hughes. In 1973, at age forty-three, unable to curiosity any of his employers within the concept for a easy, private helicopter, he resigned from his job at Hughes and based Robinson Helicopter Company in his Palos Verdes, California residence. Six years later, defying critics and overcoming monumental obstacles, Robinson was granted FAA certification for his two-place, piston powered R22 helicopter. The unknown helicopter firm delivered its first manufacturing R22 in October 1979. By 1989, the R22 had gained a foothold usually aviation, opening a beforehand untapped marketplace for personal helicopter possession.
In the early ’90s, realizing the potential for a light-weight mid-size helicopter, Robinson launched the four-place piston powered R44. Orders for the R44 rapidly piled-up and the corporate turned a acknowledged participant within the aviation business. In 2010, Robinson as soon as once more expanded his line with the five-place, turbine powered R66.
Robinson’s relentless willpower earned him the respect of each colleagues and rivals. Affectionately referred to as a rock star in sure aviation circles, Robinson retired in 2010 at age 80.
The record of awards and honors bestowed on Robinson is lengthy. Most notable:
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2013 |
Daniel Guggenheim Medal – AHS International |
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2011 |
Lifetime Aviation Engineering Award – Living Legends of Aviation |
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2010 |
Cierve Lecturer – Royal Aeronautical Society |
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2011 |
Inducted into the U.S. National Academy of Engineering |
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2004 |
Howard Hughes Memorial Award – So. California Aeronautic Association |
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2000 |
Named Laurels Hall of Fame Legend – Aviation Week & Space Technology |
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1997 |
The Doolittle Award – Society of Experimental Test Pilots |
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1992 |
Laurels Award – Aviation Week & Space Technology |
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1991 & 1990 |
Igor I. Sikorsky International Trophy – American Helicopter Society |
Today, the corporate continues below the management of Frank’s son, Kurt Robinson and, to this point, has delivered over 13,000 helicopters worldwide.
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Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1945601/Robinson_Helicopter_Company_Logo.jpg
SOURCE Robinson Helicopter Company
