The Raven is constructed from advanced composite materials. The tail boom is made from chrome molybdenum steel fitted to a high-strength aluminium alloy tail rotor gear box. The cockpit, engine compartment, fuel tanks and landing gear are all constructed from shatterproof polycarbonate plastic to increase visibility in bad weather conditions or low light levels. The rotor blades are driven by hydraulic motors and have a maximum speed of rpm.
The throttle control is automatic with pedal input for manual control in the event of engine failure. The R44 Clipper is fitted with floats, skis, or conventional landing gear.
Since the start of production on the Robinson R44 in , there have been 74 recorded fatalities worldwide. Which works out to be about 3 fatalities in a Robinson R44 around the world each year.
A direct comparison is hard to make per , drive hours, however 1. Almost 17, times more than the entire life span of the Robinson R Not a cheap hobby, eh! The following graph shows our findings, with all prices converted to AUD as of 2nd September In , the Robinson Helicopter Company prepared a summary of the estimated annual operational costs of the Robinson R44 Raven. Therefore the hourly operational costs are calculated as follows:. Not such a cheap hobby, eh!
Yes, you can land a helicopter in your backyard , or practically anywhere with enough space! Just make sure you have permission from the property owner. Glad you asked! Depending on how far you want to fly and how long your journey is — helicopter flights can get pretty expensive for long flights! Most of the scenic flights around Australia price for a minimum of 3 passengers to fill all the seats on the Robinson 44 choppers.
In , the company began to bolster its new R44 tanks with flexible bladders, which are puncture-resistant and designed to contain fuel in low-impact crashes. Kurt Robinson said it took until to develop a suitable bladder for his helicopters, disputing allegations in wrongful-death lawsuits that the company could have acted sooner.
At 1, feet above the ground, everything was a blur as he fought to regain control. Seconds later, the helicopter tore through the treetops and slammed into a house, killing his passenger, Charles Farmer, a year-old co-worker. Wells, then 57, broke more than 60 bones and spent six weeks in a coma.
His left arm was partly paralyzed and he now walks with a limp. Instead of sharing the report with pilots, owners or the FAA, the company argued in legal proceedings that it contained proprietary information.
It eventually surfaced in a lawsuit stemming from the deaths of two Canadian men whose new R44 broke up in flight near Desert Center, Calif. He sued Robinson, which disputed that mast-rocking caused his crash.
Before jurors began deliberations on punitive damages, the two sides reached a confidential settlement. The NTSB cited other mast-rocking accidents, including a hard landing in which three Alaska state troopers walked away from their heavily damaged R The safety board closed its file on mast-rocking but did not declare the issue resolved. In , the board expressed concern that the company had never found the root cause of the problem and thus could not ensure that it would not recur.
Robinson participates in NTSB investigations involving its helicopters and submits its findings to federal authorities. It does not analyze its findings to determine accident causes. Nor does it retain detailed records of accidents or incidents, compile statistical data to track recurring issues or tally how many people have been killed or injured in its helicopters.
You are shooting in the dark. Aviation consultant William Lawrence, a retired Marine Corps colonel and helicopter test pilot and instructor who has testified as a paid expert against Robinson Helicopter Co. The safety board has not determined causes for those accidents, which remain under investigation. The helicopter that crashed in Newport Beach in January, killing the pilot and two passengers, was operated by a flight school and touring company and was headed to Catalina Island.
Six months earlier, an R44 on a sightseeing flight lost power and landed hard on a city street in Sherman Oaks, injuring the pilot and two passengers. And two months before that, an R44 suddenly lost power and crashed on a golf course maintenance yard in Santa Barbara, seriously injuring the pilot and two passengers, a young couple on a sightseeing tour. The Raven I features carburetor heat assist that enhances safety and reduces pilot workload by automatically adjusting carburetor heat in response to power changes by the pilot.
The high-performance R44 Raven II has a Lycoming IO fuel injected, angle-valve, tuned-induction engine, which eliminates the need for carburetor heat. The standard volt electrical system ensures good starting performance in hot or cold weather and provides additional electrical power for optional equipment.
Left-seat flight controls are removable. Ergonomic grips incorporate two-position trigger switches for intercom and transmit. Pilot-side grip features buttons for convenient switching of COM frequencies. Floor and hand intercom switches are included for doorsoff operations. HID bulb life exceeds hours. Blades have a stainless steel spar at the leading edge that resists erosion.
Droop stops prevent excessive main rotor teetering while stopping or starting under normal operating conditions. Main and tail rotor drive systems use maintenance-free flexible couplings in place of universal joints or gear couplings.
Primary controls are actuated by push-pull tubes and bell cranks, eliminating cables and pulleys. Teflon-lined bearings eliminate periodic lubrication requirements. Properly maintained, the R44 has an approved engine and airframe TBO of hours or 12 years. All life-limited components have approved service lives of at least hours or 12 years. Service is readily available with factory-trained technicians at more than Robinson-approved service centers throughout the world.
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