So this is meRobinson
The company
The Robinson Helicopter Company of Torrance, California is the largest manufacturer of civil helicopters in the world.
The company was founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson, an ex-employee of Bell Helicopter and The Hughes Helicopter Company. Since delivering its first helicopter in 1979, Robinson Helicopter has produced (as of September 2006) over 7000 aircraft.
Robinson currently produces two models — the two-seat R22, and the four-seat R44, both of which use Lycoming piston engines virtually identical to those found in general aviation fixed-wing aircraft, e.g., Cessna 172.
In March 2007, Robinson announced plans for production of the Robinson R66, a 5-seat helicopter of similar configuration to the R44, but with the addition of a luggage compartment, wider cabin (by 8 inches), and powered by a Rolls Royce gas turbine engine.
The helicopters
Robinson R22
The Robinson R22 is a small, light two-person helicopter, designed around 1973 by Frank Robinson and produced since 1979 by the Robinson Helicopter Company.
The first version was produced as the R22, followed by the R22 HP, R22 Alpha, R22 Beta and R22 Beta II. Superficially, the machines look similar. The R22 HP was fitted with a 160 bhp Lycoming 0-320-B2C engine, an increase of 10 bhp over the original R22. The landing skid assembly on the R22 Alpha was modified by extending the rear struts, giving it a slightly nose-down attitude on the ground and better matching its attitude in a low altitude hover. The R22 Beta added an engine speed governor, rotor brake and auxiliary fuel tank. It has been offered as an instrument trainer version, with optional fixed floats as the R22 Mariner, and other special configurations for police work, electronic news gathering, and so on.
The R22 became the world’s top selling civil helicopter soon after its introduction. Due to relatively low acquisition and operating costs, it has been popular as a primary rotorcraft trainer around the world and as a livestock management tool on large ranches in North America and cattle stations in Australia. With its quick response to control inputs, it emulates the performance of turbine powered helicopters, making it easier for flight students to transition to larger aircraft.
Robinson R44
The Robinson R44 is a small, light, four-seat, piston-driven civilian helicopter produced by the Robinson Helicopter Company since 1992.
While resembling the company’s earlier Robinson R22, the R44 is larger and faster than its predecessor. It also features boosted flight controls, a feature not found on the R22. The Astro model incorporates electric cyclic trim, whilst the Raven models have hydraulically assisted cyclic and collective controls.
Tail rotor direction of rotation on the R44 is reversed compared to the R22 for improved yaw control authority. On the R44 the advancing blade is on the bottom.
Robinson R66
The Robinson R66 is a new five seat turbine powered helicopter to be produced by the Robinson Helicopter Company. The R66 is intended to be somewhere between Robinson’s four seat piston powered R-44 Raven 2 and a Bell 206 JetRanger in terms of performance. A Rolls-Royce RR300 turboshaft will power the new helicopter. The R66 is expected to reach the market sometime between 2011 and 2013.