Driven by foreign sales, production was soon returning to normal. Robinson was already exporting half of its production in the mids. The rotorcraft were quite popular with cattle ranchers Down Under. After breaking even for a couple of years, Robinson Helicopter turned its first profit in A weak dollar was good for exports, which accounted for 80 percent of sales.
Robinson had employees at the time. While California's giant military aerospace firms idled plants after the fall of the Soviet Union, Robinson Helicopter was thriving. Employment would soon pass workers. Frank Robinson had begun to work on a design for a four-seat helicopter in the mids. The first prototype took to the air in March With its four-seat capacity, the R44 was expected to sell well in the executive aircraft market.
Its greater size also opened new possibilities in police work, agriculture, and fish spotting. The R44 also boasted low operating costs and required less frequent servicing than typical helicopters. In fact, its maintenance schedule was similar to that of light fixed-wing aircraft--an overhaul only every 2, hours later extended to 2, hours. The first production R44 Astro was delivered in February Robinson was planning to establish a production line for this aircraft in Santa Maria until the city of Torrance offered the company a good rate on a lease of additional land.
Santa Maria's purportedly cumbersome licensing process helped seal that decision. Robinson had also looked at locations in the South and Midwest. Robinson moved to a new ,square-foot plant in July Sixty workers were soon laid off, however, due to a sales slowdown. These were eventually attributed to pilot error. Robinson brought out a special police-oriented variant of the R44 in mid Its nose turret could be fitted with infrared sensors or a video camera.
The R44 Newscopter debuted around the same time, outfitted for television news coverage. The company continued to grow in the late s. During this time, the Rmore versatile with its four seats--became the world's top-selling helicopter.
An overflowing order book called for a major expansion of the Torrance plant. Email her at sophie ceoworld. Executive Education. Anna Papadopoulos Executive Education. Political Science is one of the most popular subjects in the world. Its relevance has never been lost, as politics Ayushi Kushwaha Executive Education. Quality education is a foundation for the rest of your life and witnessing the current trend in employment, it is Big Picture.
Anna Marshall Big Picture. How do you transition from being one of the team, to leading the team? Art And Culture. Zoe Aitken Art And Culture. The word "pivot" has become one of the most overused buzzwords of the pandemic. We are all being forced to try new ways of In , an agreement was reached with Rolls Royce to develop the RR turbine engine, a derivative of the RR series.
With the engine in place, development of a 5-place turbine helicopter, the R66 Turbine, moved into high gear. The R66 was FAA certified in to the current amendment of the federal regulations, including the latest crashworthiness standards.
Both models are offered in a variety of configurations including float, news and police versions. Research and development is of significant importance to Robinson with company continually making improvements and offering new technology. Among its latest offerings are glass avionics and an autopilot designed specifically for helicopters.
0コメント