Helicopter Pioneer Frank Robinson Passes

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On November 12, 2022 Robinson Helicopter Company bid a last farewell to its founder, Frank Robinson. Robinson, 92, handed away peacefully at his Rolling Hills, California dwelling.

One of essentially the most recognizable names within the helicopter trade, Frank Robinson was a pioneer, a person not pushed by reward or accolades however by a imaginative and prescient that redefined the trade and perpetually modified basic aviation.  

Robinson shall 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 might 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 faculty.  His profession started within the late ’50s with Cessna and continued by way of the ’60s working for a lot of main aerospace corporations, together with Bell and Hughes. In 1973, at age forty-three, unable to curiosity any of his employers within the thought for a easy, private helicopter, he resigned from his job at Hughes and based Robinson Helicopter Company in his Palos Verdes, California dwelling. 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 on the whole aviation, opening a beforehand untapped marketplace for non-public 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 shortly piled-up and the corporate grew to become a acknowledged participant within the aviation trade. 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 known as a rock star in sure aviation circles, Robinson retired in 2010 at age 80.

The listing of awards and honors bestowed on Robinson is lengthy.  Most notable:

Today, the corporate continues beneath the management of Frank’s son, Kurt Robinson and, thus far, has delivered over 13,000 helicopters worldwide. 

SOURCE Robinson Helicopter Company