Range 601 km Cruise speed 222 km/h Wingspan 10 m | Top speed 259 km/h Length 12 m | |
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Unit cost 830,000–830,000 USD (2013) | ||
Robinson r66 turbine helicopter
The Robinson R66 is a helicopter designed and built by Robinson Helicopter Company. It has five seats, a separate cargo compartment, and is powered by a new Rolls-Royce RR300 turboshaft engine. The R66 is slightly faster and smoother than the Robinson R44 from which it is derived. The R66 received both type and production certificates from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 25, 2010.
Contents
- Robinson r66 turbine helicopter
- Helicopter robinson r66 assembling in kiev ukraine
- Development
- Design
- Operators
- Specifications
- References
Helicopter robinson r66 assembling in kiev ukraine
Development
Announced in 2007, the R66 was designed to be the company's first turbine-powered product and to extend its product range to compete with larger helicopters manufactured by Bell Helicopter and Eurocopter. Most of the R66 design is based on the earlier piston-engine R44.
Robinson started taking orders for the R66 in February, 2010. It went into preliminary production in 2010, and full production in 2011. The existing two-seat R22 and four-seat R44 continued in production.
A four-seat police version of the R66 has entered production with a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera system, searchlight, and external public address (PA) system as standard equipment. A cargo hook was approved in the EU and the United States in 2015.
In 2012, Robinson delivered 191 R66s while Robinson's competitors in the light single turbine sector delivered only 40 units between them. About 70 percent of the R66 production is exported. In 2014, the production rate slowed to about two R66s per week for a total of 101 for the year. In 2015, Robinson produced three R66s per week. RHC has contracted with Rolls-Royce to supply 100 RR300 turbines per year for 10 years.
Russia certified the R66 in March, 2013, while Canada certified it in Summer 2013. European EASA certification was granted in May, 2014, and China certified shortly after.
The R66 Turbine Marine with pop-out floats was FAA certified in November, 2014. A journalist pilot described ground landing with them as better than the standard R66. Retrofit floats will not be available for the standard R66.
During December, 2015 it was announced that Robinson Helicopter had sold 700 R66s.
Design
The R66 is a single-engined helicopter with a two-bladed main rotor, two-bladed tail rotor and fixed skid landing gear. The R66 is constructed from advanced composites, aluminum alloy sheet, and chromoly steel. Like the R44, the R66 has both electromechanical instruments and the more modern digital glass cockpit.
The R66 is the first Robinson helicopter with a cargo hold; the hold carries up to 300 pounds (140 kg).
The RR300 engine is more compact and lighter than the Lycoming O-540 six-cylinder piston engine that powers the R44—the R66 has a lower empty weight than the R44. The RR300 has a simplified single-stage centrifugal compressor that makes it less expensive and is expected to result in lower maintenance costs.
The turbine burns Jet-A fuel at a rate of 23 US gallons (87 l) per hour, compared to 15 US gallons (57 l) of Avgas per hour for the O-540.
Operators
The aircraft is operated by private individuals and companies:
Police operators
The Fontana Police Department in California received the first production R66 Police variant in October, 2012.
Air Ambulance operators
An R66 is being used in Colombia as a pediatric air ambulance.
Military operators
Specifications
General characteristics
Performance