Robinson R44

Robinson R44
Type:	Light multipurpose helicopter
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Robinson helicopter
First flight:	March 31, 1990
Commissioning:	1993
Number of pieces:	> 5000

Robinson R44

The Robinson R44 is a four-seat, single-engine , piston -engine helicopter produced by the US company Robinson Helicopter Company.

Robinson R44 in the Boeing Aviation hangar

View from an R44 Astro cockpit

Robinson R44 with floats

TVN24 helicopter

General

It is the slightly larger version of the Robinson R22 and can carry four people. It is equipped with a six-cylinder boxer engine from Lycoming . Its TBO (= Time Between Overhaul ) for the engine, airframe and important mechanical components is given as 2200 hours. A more powerful variant with drive by a shaft turbine instead of the piston motor is called the Robinson R66 .

Versions

The following versions of the R44 are available:

Astro , original version without hydraulic support
Raven I (carburetor engine)
Raven II (injection engine)
of which one clipper variant with special equipment for sea operations (such as floats and improved corrosion protection)
Cadet (from 2016), two-seater version with improved flight characteristics, based on the Raven I.

Incidents

In the mid-1990s, crashes with light helicopters of the technically related Robinson R22 and R44 types, in which the main rotor collided with the fuselage or the tail boom, increased. The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) then recommended, among other measures, the cessation of flight operations with this type of helicopter. However, the recommendation was not implemented due to the LBA's own considerations, as changed technical instructions could reduce the risk of the rotor-hull contact causing the accident far enough.

There were repeated incidents with the model. One of the victims was the Ukrainian politician Taras Kutovyj on October 21, 2019 . When his Robinson R44 crashed near the village of Tarassenkowe (Tarasenkova, Orschytsja district), he was killed on the flight from Kiev to Poltava Oblast .

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	1
Passengers	3
Length (trunk)	8.97 m
Main rotor diameter	396 in (10 m)
Inside rotor blade depth	10.6 in (269 mm)
Outside rotor blade depth	10 in (254 mm)
Rotor blade twisting	−6 °
Height (torso)	3.02 m
Max. Blade tip speed (at 102% engine speed; corresponding to 2718 min ⁻¹ )	214.88 m / s (705 ft / s )
Empty mass	1,506 lb (683 kg)
Max. Takeoff mass	2,400 lb (1,089 kg)
Fuel tank capacity AvGas 100 LL main tank (without / with bladder tank)	120 L (31.6 gallons ) / 115 L (30.5 gal)
Additional tank capacity (without / with bladder tank)	70 l (18.5 gal) / 65 l (17.2 gal)
Top speed (up to 998 kg TOW without floats)	240 km / h
Cruising speed	210 km / h
Range	644 km
Max. permissible flight altitude	4,270 m (14,000 ft )
Climb rate, ISA , at max. Takeoff mass	5.1 m / s (1000 ft / min)
Max. Hovering altitude IGE , ISA, at max. Takeoff weight	2730 m (8950 ft)
Max. Hovering altitude OGE , ISA, at max. Takeoff weight	1370 m (4500 ft)
Engine	1 × Lycoming O-540 -F1B5 (1 × Lycoming IO-540-AE1E5 for Raven II)
Base price 2007 (without transport, VAT, etc.)	€ 310,000

It is driven by the motor via four double V-belts with a reduction of 0.778: 1 to the gearbox. This reduces the main rotor in a ratio of 11:57 by means of bevel gears and translates the compensating rotor in a ratio of 31:27.