14 November 2022
Frank Robinson, founder of Robinson Helicopter Company, has died, aged 92. Mr Robinson passed away peacefully at his Rolling Hills, California home, said a company statement.
Frank Robinson almost single-handedly created the personal helicopter with the two-seat R22, followed by the four-seat R44 and turbine R66.
Three R22s and three R44s, a recent order enroute to a customer in China
Robinson’s fascination with helicopters began in 1939, at age nine, when he saw a picture of Igor Sikorsky hovering his VS-300 helicopter, an image that captivated Robinson and set the course for his life’s work.
He earned a BSME degree from the University of Washington, later attending Wichita State University’s graduate aeronautical engineering school. His career began in the late 1950s with Cessna and continued through the ‘60s working for many leading aerospace companies, including Bell and Hughes.
In 1973, at the age of 43, unable to interest any of his employers in the idea for a simple, personal helicopter, he resigned from his job at Hughes and founded Robinson Helicopter Company in his Palos Verdes, California home. Six years later, defying critics and overcoming enormous obstacles, Robinson was granted FAA certification for his two-place, piston powered R22 helicopter.
The unknown helicopter company delivered its first production R22 in October 1979. By 1989, the R22 had gained a foothold in general aviation, opening a previously untapped market for private helicopter ownership.
In the early ‘90s, realising the potential for a light mid-size helicopter, Robinson introduced the four-seat piston powered R44. Orders for the R44 quickly piled-up and many variants, such as the Clipper, Newscopter and Police were created.
The turbine powered R66 has been a huge hit, and is popular with police forces across the US
In 2010, Robinson once again expanded his line with the five-place, turbine powered R66.
Robinson’s relentless determination earned him the respect of both colleagues and competitors. Mr Robinson retired in 2010 at age 80 leaaving his son Kurt running the company from the factory at Torrance Airport, just outside Los Angeles. To date, more than 13,000 Robinson helicopters have been delivered worldwide.
