A rare driver, caught in a long traffic jam, did not complain that his car was deprived of the ability to rise into the air and fly over the traffic jam. Particularly annoying is the oversupply of transport in the event that time costs more than money. This situation happens in people who manage large amounts of money, for which being late for a business meeting can result in huge losses. As a rule, successful businessmen buy cars expensive. And here is a solution. The Robinson helicopter, in terms of its value, fits well into the price range of the executive class of the car, is not inferior to the Cadillac in comfort, and it does not know the road problems.
The idea
Personal use aircraft appeared in the West a long time ago, but earlier they were available only to very wealthy people. In the eighties of the twentieth century, the American company Robinson Helicopter caught the prospect of the small private aviation market and began developing a model of a helicopter that could fill the middle-class consumer niche. In fact, it was supposed to be a “flying car”, in which, in addition to the pilot, three or four passengers with luggage could fit. In America, people often travel in their cars, overcoming distances of up to thousands of kilometers, and Robinson calculated this distance. The helicopter, in addition to these requirements, had other important properties in mind: easy controllability and pilot training, fuel economy, long engine life, ease of maintenance, reliability, safety and comfort. To comply with all these conditions in one machine is not an easy task, and the company's design bureau had to work hard. It took almost a decade to develop a helicopter. In 1990, the Robinson helicopter of the first R44 model was generally ready, in a couple of years it passed certification and was introduced to the small-sized aviation market.
Design features
The analogy with a car comes to mind immediately after becoming acquainted with the flight technical data of the aircraft. The Robinson helicopter weighs a little over a ton along with fuel, pilot, passengers and their luggage. This approximately corresponds to the curb weight of the Lada. Fuel in the tanks is 185 liters, which is enough for three or four and a half hours or 650 kilometers of flight. However, those who have had to deal with small aircraft in life know that it’s not enough to reach their destination, you still need to be able to land there. And this requires an airfield (if the flight is on an airplane) or a suitable site (for a helicopter). The diameter of the Robinson rotor is slightly more than ten meters, the overall overall size is 11.75 m, but this does not mean that it is easy to land on any plane limited by this length, some more margin is needed. Nevertheless, the requirements for the landing conditions of this machine are maximally simplified due to another design feature - the screw is located high, more than three meters above the ground, and there is little chance of it catching on it. In other words, the Robinson helicopter does not need a specially prepared landing site.
Powertrain Secrets
The machine is built according to the classical scheme with one main propeller and one tail rotor (compensation) located on the beam. The power plant is located behind the cab and includes a gear motor. The type of motor, depending on the modification, can be IO-540 or O-540 Lycoming - in both cases, the power slightly exceeds 260 horsepower; the number of cylinders is six. At the same time, the cabin of the helicopter is relatively quiet. The secret of low noise, long engine life and high reliability of the power plant is redundancy, that is, power reserve. It works "half-heartedly", it does not tear, which, together with the interesting materials used (including composite), which ensure low noise and, at the same time, increased wear resistance, leads to very good results.
Control
There are few rotorcraft that are so obedient to the pilot as the Robinson. The helicopter is designed for one pilot, but if necessary, the passenger sitting to his right can take on piloting. To do this, it is enough for him to turn the control knob (cyclic) to his side and use his own step and gala control lever, which both front seats are equipped with on the left. Not every small-tonnage helicopter is equipped with a dual-control function, but it is important both for improving safety and for training pilots, which often become the owners of cars.
Flight characteristics
Each aircraft is evaluated by experts on a set of objective indicators, measured in numbers. Thus, the ability to operate the machine in northern latitudes or tropics sets the temperature range in which the flight remains safe. In the technical sample under consideration, it is wide - from -30 ° C to + 40 ° C, from which we can conclude that it can work almost throughout Russia. The cruising (that is, normal operating) speed of the Robinson helicopter is approximately 110 mph (in units accepted in the USA) or our 177 km / h, but it can reach 190 in afterburner mode. Given the straightness of the trajectory, the benefits of air transport become apparent. The maximum flight altitude, called the ceiling by aviators, reaches 4250 meters, but it usually goes lower, at a thousand and a half, on which the Robinson helicopter spends its fuel most economically. Characteristics depend on the model and the degree of development of motor resources.
Modifications
It is difficult to compare Robinson Helicopter in terms of production volumes with such "whales" of the American aircraft industry as Boeing, Sikorsky or McDonnell Douglas. The enterprise achieved commercial success in a narrowly defined segment of the small aviation market . However, this does not mean at all that its products are intended only for private customers, it is purchased by government agencies (for example, the police), and not only American ones. To cover the largest consumer spectrum, seven modifications of the Robinson helicopter are made:
- “Astro” - is equipped with an O-540 engine.
- "Raven" - a commercial model with a reinforced engine O-540-F1B5 on metal skids that can withstand landing on particularly hard surfaces.
- “Clipper” - float version (hydro-helicopter).
- "Raven II" - has an injection engine IO-540-AE1A5. In addition, the rotor blades are made wider. Also expanded navigation capabilities that allow flight with limited or zero visibility.
- “Clipper II” - the same “Raven II” in the hydraulic variant.
- “AIF Ar Trainer” - as the name implies, a training model equipped with all necessary equipment.
- "Polis II" - a police car equipped accordingly.
Comfort and safety
Flying a Robinson helicopter differs little from riding in a regular car on a good road. The seats are comfortable, luggage boxes are built under them. Glazing is also pleasing, and not only for the pilot (for him this question has utilitarian significance: the better the view, the easier it is to navigate in space), but also for passengers who are just interested.
As for the danger of breaking, it certainly exists, but its probability is much less than when moving on other types of transport. Even engine failure often does not lead to tragic consequences - this is not only a Robinson’s trait (and it’s very light), but generally all helicopters capable of making relatively soft landings due to the inertial rotation of the rotor (it is called autorotation).
Most often, machines of this type get into accidents due to insufficient pilot training or improper operation.
Secondary market
The factory price of Robinson R-44 in the United States is about $ 300 thousand. Taking into account dealer profits and customs clearance costs, it reaches 450 thousand in Russia. Such a high cost encourages potential owners to look for ways to save by acquiring the necessary equipment in the secondary market, where the purchase can be made by paying from 270 to 400 thousand US dollars. Of ten rotorcraft, nine are sold that way, and the Robinson helicopter is no exception. The photo of the proposed device does not mean much, the aggregate of data on the motor resources of nodes and the total age is of much greater importance. The time between major repairs can not exceed 2200 hours (by the way, it is not cheap - you will have to pay about $ 60 thousand). You should also pay attention to the remaining life of each of the units, especially the most expensive. The fact is that aircraft manufacturers all over the world get the main profit not from the sale of equipment, but from its further supply of components and consumables.