Helicopter "Robinson": characteristics, photo, speed. Helicopter flight "Robinson"

Rare driver, hitting a long road jam, did not complain that his car is deprived of the ability to fly into the air and fly a cork. Especially annoying surplus transport in the case when time is more expensive than money. This situation happens in people who manage large amounts, for which being late for a business meeting can result in huge losses. As a rule, successful businessmen buy expensive cars. And here is the solution. The helicopter "Robinson" at its cost is quite within the price range of the representative class of the car, the comfort is not inferior to the Cadillac, and road problems are unknown to him.

Purpose

The aircrafts of personal use in the West appeared long ago, but before they were accessible only to people very rich. In the eighties of the twentieth century, the American firm Robinson Helicopter caught the prospect of a small private aviation market and began developing a model of a helicopter capable of filling the middle-class consumer niche. In fact, it should have been a "flying car", which, in addition to the pilot, could accommodate three or four passengers with luggage. In America, people often travel on their cars, overcoming distances of up to thousands of kilometers, at such a distance and calculated "Robinson". In addition to these requirements, the helicopter possessed other important properties: easy controllability and training in piloting, fuel economy, long service life, ease of maintenance, reliability, safety and comfort. To meet all these conditions in one machine is not an easy task, and the design bureau of the company had to work hard. Almost a decade left for the development of a helicopter. In 1990, the Robinson helicopter of the first model R44 was in general ready, after a couple of years it was certified and was introduced to the small-size aviation market.

Design Features

The analogy with the car comes to mind immediately after acquaintance with the flight-technical data of the aircraft. The Robinson helicopter weighs just over a tonne, along with fuel, a pilot, passengers and their luggage. This corresponds approximately to the equipped mass of the "Zhiguli". Fuel in the tanks is placed 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-scale aviation in their lives know that it's not enough to fly to their destination, you still need to be able to make a landing there. And this requires an aerodrome (if the flight is made on the plane) or a suitable platform (for the helicopter). The diameter of the main rotor "Robinson" slightly exceeds ten meters, the overall overall size is 11.75 m, but this does not mean that it is easy to plant on any plane limited by this length, we need some more stock. Nevertheless, the requirements for the landing conditions of this car are simplified as much as possible due to another design feature - the screw is located high, more than three meters above the ground, and the probability of catching it for some obstacle is small. In other words, the Robinson helicopter does not need a specially prepared landing pad.

Secrets of the power plant

The car is built according to the classical scheme with one carrier propeller and one steering (compensating) screw, located on the beam. The power plant is located behind the cab and includes a motor with a reducer. The motor type, 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 in the cabin of the helicopter is relatively quiet. The secret of low noise, duration of the service life and high reliability of the power plant is in redundancy, that is, the power reserve. It works "half-heartedly", it does not break, that in combination with interesting materials (including composite ones) that provide low noise, and at the same time an increased wear resistance, leads to very good results.

Control

There are few rotorcraft that are as obedient to the pilot as Robinson. The helicopter is designed for one pilot, but if necessary, the passenger sitting to his right can take piloting on himself. To do this, it is enough for him to turn the control knob (cyclic stroke) to his side and use his own lever to regulate the step and the gala, to which from left are provided both front seats. Not every small 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 specialists on a set of objective indicators, measured in figures. Thus, the possibility of operating a car in the northern latitudes or tropics determines the temperature range in which the flight remains safe. In the technical sample in question, it is wide - from -30 ° C to + 40 ° C, which leads to the conclusion that it can work in almost the entire territory of Russia. The cruising speed (that is, the normal operating speed) of the Robinson helicopter is approximately 110 mph (in units accepted in the US) or our 177 km / h, but can reach 190 in the afterburner mode. Taking into account the straightness of the trajectory, the advantages of air transport become obvious. The maximum altitude of the flight, called the ceiling by airmen, reaches 4,250 meters, but it usually goes below, on the one and a half thousand, where the most economical fuel is the Robinson helicopter. The characteristics depend on the model and the degree of development of the service life.

Modifications

Robinson Helicopter is difficult to compare in terms of production volumes with such "whales" of the American aircraft industry as Boeing, Sikorsky or McDonnell-Douglas. The company achieved commercial success in the narrowly delineated segment of the small aviation market . However, this does not mean that its products are intended only for private buyers, it is also acquired by state structures (for example, for the police), and not just 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, which can withstand landing on particularly hard surfaces.

- "Clipper" - float version (hydro-rover).

- "Raven II" - has an injector engine IO-540-AE1A5. In addition, the propeller blades are wider. Also expanded navigation capabilities, allowing flight with limited or zero visibility.

- "Clipper II" - the same "Raven II" in the hydrovariant.

- "AY-EF-Trainer" - as the name implies, a training model equipped with all necessary equipment.

- "Police II" - a police car, equipped accordingly.

Comfort and safety

The flight by helicopter "Robinson" differs little from a trip in a conventional car on a good road. The seats are comfortable, luggage boxes are built under them. Glazing also pleases, and not only the pilot (for him this issue has a utilitarian significance: the better the survey, the easier it is to navigate in space), but also passengers who are just interested.

As for the danger of breaking up, it certainly exists, but its probability is much less than when traveling on other modes of transport. Even the failure of the engine most often does not lead to tragic consequences - this is not only a feature of Robinson (and it's very light), but in general all helicopters capable of making relatively soft landings due to the inertial rotation of the main rotor (it is called autorotation).

Most machines of this type are involved in accidents due to insufficient training of pilots or improper operation.

Secondary market

The factory price of "Robinson R-44" in the US is about $ 300 thousand. Taking into account dealer profit and expenses for customs clearance, it reaches 450 thousand in Russia. This high cost motivates potential owners to seek ways to save by acquiring the necessary equipment in the secondary market, where the purchase can be made by paying between 270 and 400 thousand US dollars. Of the ten rotorcraft, nine are sold just like that, and the Robinson helicopter is no exception. The photo of the proposed apparatus has little to say about, much more important is the aggregate of data on the motor resources of the nodes and the general age. Time between capital repairs can not exceed 2200 hours (it, by the way, not cheap - it is necessary to give approximately $ 60 thousand). You should also pay attention to the remaining resource of each of the units, especially the most expensive ones. The fact is that aircraft builders around the world make the main profit not from the sale of equipment, but from its further supply of components and consumables.