Photograph:
Robinson R-66 VH-ZVQ (c/n 0011) at Bowylie, NSW in 2011 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Five-seat turbine-powered utility helicopter
Power Plant:
One 224 kw (300 shp) Rolls Royce 300 turboshaft
Specifications:
- Rotor diameter: 10.05 m (33 ft)
- Length: 11.65 m (38 ft 4 in)
- Height: 3.47 m (11 ft 4 in)
- Cruising speed: 222 km/h (138 mph)
- Rate of climb: 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min)
- Hovering ceiling in ground effect: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
- Max operating altitude: 4,267 m (14,000 ft)
- Max range with no reserve: 603 km (375 miles)
- Fuel capacity: 279 litres (61 imp gals)
- Empty weight: 581 kg (1,280 lb)
- Max fuel: 224 kg (493 lb)
- Max payload: 420 kg (927 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,225 kg (2,700 lb)
History:
The R-66 is a turbine powered helicopter developed in the United States. In March 2007 Frank Robinson announced his company would produce a turbine variant of the R-44, the prototype being shown at the company’s facility fitted with a new lightweight Rolls Royce 300 engine, the aircraft making its debut at Torrance, California in March 2009. It has a two-blade teetering main rotor system and a two-blade tail rotor. It received certification in 2010 and series production and customer deliveries commenced in 2011. It has two front seats separated by a central cyclic control and a back seat able to take three passengers. It has cargo space underneath the seats and in a rear cargo compartment.
The engine is the Rolls Royce 300, a derivative of the Allison 250 which has been used in a number of helicopter types, producing 224 kw (300 shp) for take-off, 179 kw (240 shp) continuous and 164 kw (220 shp) in cruise. Engine controls are mechanical with no FADEC, though this is available as an option. The R-66 is larger overall than the R-44, having five-seats.
The first two examples of the type were imported in early 2011 for the Australasian distributors, becoming VH-ZVQ (c/n 0011) with Heliflite and VH-FCQ (c/n 0012) with Helibiz, being placed on display in March that year at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, being followed by VH-XXR (c/n 014) and ZK-HAG (c/n 0015) in New Zealand. Since then further examples have arrived and been registered in both Australia and New Zealand.
On 11 October 2014 two Russian registered R-66s arrived at Horn Island in North Queensland, these machines (RA-06345 and RA-96360) being on an epic helicopter journey from Russia to New Zealand and return, the trip taking several months to complete. They were flown across Siberia to Japan, south through the Philippines and Indonesia to Australia, crossed the Tasman Sea to Auckland and Wanaka, later returning. By January 2016 24 examples appeared on the Australian Register.
In mid-2016 Robinson received Federal Aviation Administration certification for an optional 163 litre (36 Imp gals) auxiliary fuel tank which is mounted on a fibreglass tray that fits into the forward section of the baggage compartment, leaving sufficient space for 45 kg (100 lb) of baggage, the fuel tank increasing range by up to 370 km (230 miles).