Robinson Unveils the New R66 Feb 2009
Certification is expected in late 2009 or early 2010.
Upon certification, Robinson will begin taking orders.
R66 Robinson's newly born turbine powered helicopter. Its a 5 seater Robinson and the first Robinson helicopter that will feature a seperate cargo compartment.
Compared to the R44
In photos captured on the Torrance, California ramp, the Robinson R66 bears a strong physical resemblance to the R44. The R66 will have one extra seat and a large baggage compartment underneath the engine and behind the seats. This should make the R66 perfect for ferrying two married couples plus weekend bags. It could also do the Teterboro or White Plains to Manhattan heliport mission with four business executives as passengers and their briefcases in the baggage compartment. The R44 has reasonable baggage capacity underneath the four seats, but no compartment is large enough for a set of golf clubs, for example.
The Robinson R66 should be more profitable for medium-volume sightseeing operations. Customers tend to arrive in groups of two, so having four passenger seats rather than three will be a help.
Many foreign militaries use the R44 as a primary trainer. The U.S. Army uses the JetRanger because (1) taxpayer money is free, and (2) they want army pilots to have turbine startup and shutdown experience from Day 1. The R66 probably won't win over the U.S. Army, but it should be hugely popular with foreign armies.
Compared to a Eurocopter EC120
The Eurocopter EC120 is a lovely five-seat machine with a fenestron (shrouded) anti-torque rotor in the tail. Due to the conventional tail rotor and less paranoia about waking up the neighbors, the Robinson R66 will be substantially noisier than the EC120, whose flyover noise is 3 dB quieter than the R44 (FAA Advisory Circular AC36-1H). It will also have more tail rotor authority.
The Robinson R66 should sell for about half the price of the EC120 and cost substantially less to operate. Eurocopter has developed a bad reputation for service and support; the R66 should spend more of its time in the air and less in the maintenance hangar waiting for service bulletins and airworthiness directives to be performed.
In a December 2007 survey by Rotor and Wing, Robinson earned the #1 spot for customer satisfaction. Eurocopter was near the bottom.
Compared to an old JetRanger
A new Robinson R66 is likely to sell for the same price as an older Bell 206 JetRanger, which first flew in 1962. The aircraft are powered by very similar engines, from the same original Allison design, and should perform similarly. Maintenance, overhaul, and spare parts costs for the JetRanger should be substantially higher, particularly if Bell elects to raise parts prices on the 206 in order to encourage customers to buy its newer 407 design. This is what happened with the Bell 47, the old piston-engine M*A*S*H helicopter. Spare parts got so expensive that it became cheaper for customers to operate the jet-powered 206.
Compared to the Schweizer 434
In late 2007, Schweizer announced a derivative of their three-seat Schweizer 333 helicopter. The new machine, dubbed 434, has a four-blade rotor system derived from a remotely piloted military helicopter. This could be a very nimble helicopter to fly and has already been sold to Saudi Arabia for use in military training. It is unclear what kind of seating the 434 will offer, but if they can make a five-seat version it could be a strong competitor to the R66. Schweizer is owned by Sikorsky and accustomed to fat military contracts; it is unlikely that the 434 will be competitive in price to the R66 nor produced in comparable volumes.
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