avia.wikisort.org - 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 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.[3]

R66
Role	Light utility and trainer helicopter
Manufacturer	Robinson Helicopter Company
Designer	Frank D. Robinson
First flight	7 November 2007[1]
Status	In production
Produced	2007–present
Number built	1,000 as of August 2020[update][2]
Developed from	Robinson R44

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.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] In 2014, the production rate slowed to about two R66s per week[7] for a total of 101 for the year.[8] In 2015, Robinson produced three R66s per week. RHC has contracted with Rolls-Royce to supply 100 RR300 turbines per year for 10 years.[9]

Russia certified the R66 in March 2013,[10] while Canada certified it in June 2013.[11] European EASA and Chinese CAAC certifications were granted in the second quarter of 2014.[12][13][14]

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 are not available for the standard R66.[15]

A cargo hook was approved in the EU and the United States in 2015.[16]

In December 2015 Robinson announced it had sold 700 R66s.[17]

On July 13, 2017, Robinson announced certification of the R66 Turbine Newscopter (R66 ENG).[18]

On 25 January 2017 Robinson announced that it had delivered its 12,000th aircraft, an R66 to a charter and tour operator, Fly Karoo Air Services.[19]

On 17 July 2017, Robinson introduced the TB17 lithium-ion phosphate battery as optional equipment. The battery weighs 16 lb (7.3 kg), which is lighter than the previous 42 lb (19 kg) standard and 52 lb (24 kg) high capacity batteries.[20]

The company delivered the 1,000th R66 in August 2020.[2]

Design

The R66 is a single-engined helicopter with two-bladed main and tail rotors, and a 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 optional digital glass cockpit.[21]

The R66 is the first Robinson helicopter with a cargo hold; the hold carries up to 300 pounds (140 kg).[22]

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.[22] The RR300 has a simplified single-stage centrifugal compressor which makes it less expensive and is expected to result in lower maintenance costs.[23]

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.[22]

At Heli Expo 2018, Robinson introduced a cargo hook as an optional equipment. This modification increases the aircraft's maximum gross weight from 2,700 to 2,900 lb (1,200 to 1,300 kg).[24] It is currently available in two variants.

Operators

The aircraft is operated by law enforcement, companies and private individuals.

 Indonesia

• National Disaster Management Authority[25][26]

 Nigeria

• Nigerian Air Force[27]

Specifications

Data from Manufacturer[28][29]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 4 passengers or 1,200 lb (540 kg) external load[24]
• Length: 29 ft 6 in (8.99 m)
• Width: 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m)
• Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)
• Empty weight: 1,290 lb (585 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,700 lb (1,225 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 73.6 US gallons (279 l)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce RR300 turboshaft, 224 shp (167 kW) continuous, 270 shp (200 kW) takeoff (5 minutes)
• Main rotor diameter: 33 ft (10 m)
• Tail rotor Diameter: 5 ft (1.52 m)

Performance

• Cruise speed: 110 kn (130 mph, 200 km/h)
• Never exceed speed: 140 kn (160 mph, 260 km/h)
• Range: 350 nmi (400 mi, 650 km)
• Service ceiling: 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
• Fuel consumption: 23 US gallons (87 l) per hour[22]

See also

Related development

• Robinson R22
• Robinson R44

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Bell 206
• Bell SLS
• Enstrom 480
• MD Helicopters MD 500
• Sikorsky S-333

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robinson R66.

• Robinson Helicopter Company
• Fabrication area, page 32-35
• Lou Churchville (June 25, 2019). "Robinson R66: Passion, Performance And Price". Business & Commercial Aviation.

На других языках

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[de] Robinson R66

Die Robinson R66 ist ein fünfsitziger, einmotoriger Hubschrauber des US-amerikanischen Unternehmens Robinson Helicopter mit Turbinenantrieb.

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- [en] Robinson R66

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[fr] Robinson R66

Le Robinson R66 est un hélicoptère 5 places à turbine à gaz, conçu et construit par Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC). Le R66 est légèrement plus rapide et plus souple que le Robinson R44. Il est également le premier hélicoptère Robinson à posséder un compartiment cargo séparé.

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[it] Robinson R66

Il Robinson R66 Turbine è un elicottero utility leggero mono-turbina, a 5 posti e con rotore bipala, destinato anche ad essere utilizzato anche come addestratore, realizzato dall'azienda statunitense Robinson Helicopter Company negli anni duemila. La vendita del primo velivolo viene conclusa nell'anno 2010; attualmente risulta essere ancora in produzione ed è stato firmato l'accordo con Elifriulia in esclusiva per l'Italia,[4] il cui primo volo nel territorio italiano è stato effettuato il 10 dicembre 2014. L'elicottero, registrato I-RSIX, è stato presentato al pubblico il 30 gennaio 2015.

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[ru] Robinson R66

Robinson R66 — лёгкий многоцелевой пятиместный коммерческий вертолёт производства компании «Robinson Helicopter», США.

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