Robinson Helicopter Company

ABOUT US

Building helicopters is a job.

Building Robinsons is a responsibility.

Frank Robinson was a man driven by an idea: to put a small, inexpensive helicopter in the sky. Something remarkably practical, accessible and dependable – an aircraft that mirrored his own dedication to simplicity. So, he quit his job and put a drafting table in his living room. And after years of testing, technical analysis and tuning out naysayers, the first R22 was delivered in 1979; quickly becoming the world’s top-selling civil helicopter.

Several decades, and tens of thousands of aircraft later, the company continues to carry Frank’s vision by building the most reliable, hardworking helicopters in the industry — allowing owners and operators all over the world to complete the toughest missions imaginable.

Located in Torrance, California, Robinson Helicopter Company performs all aspects of helicopter production — from designing to manufacturing, assembling, inspecting and flight testing. To ensure the highest quality and maximize efficiency, we produce a large percentage of parts in-house. Robinson also offers a factory overhaul program for older aircraft, and a worldwide network of more than 400 Service Centers and Dealers provide service and support.

At Robinson, we live by a simple code: The work we do makes the world work.

“

We believe that when it comes to responsibility,

Our payload capacity

Is the weight of the world.

That a simple machine can seat a few,

And serve 8.1 billion.

That the most important part of every machine we build Is a person.

And that no matter where we are,

We can all find common ground

By looking up.

It’s why we pledge to continue to make

the most accessible, dependable helicopters in existence.

Because keeping you in the sky

Is why we show up to work every day.

So whether you’re keeping cities safe,

Combating natural disasters

Feeding the world

Or training the pilots of tomorrow,

Whatever your mission,

We’re proud to call what we do

The second most important job in the world.

ABOUT FRANK ROBINSON

Frank Robinson was born in Carbonado, Washington in 1930, at the start of the Great Depression. At just nine years old, a picture in the newspaper of Igor Sikorsky’s prototype helicopter ignited a passion that would never fade. After earning a BSME degree from the University of Washington in 1957, Robinson began his career at Cessna Aircraft and went on to work at Umbaugh, McCulloch, Kaman, Bell Helicopter and Hughes Helicopter, honing his expertise in tail rotors along the way. Throughout his career, Frank’s vision for a small, affordable personal helicopter was repeatedly dismissed by his employers. They didn’t believe there was a market for such a concept. But Frank, a true maverick, knew better. When no one else saw the potential, he created it himself. In 1973, Robinson founded Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC) from his own home.

Robinson’s breakthrough came with the R22, which made its first flight in 1975 and was FAA-certified in 1979. The R22 revolutionized helicopter aviation by making rotary-wing flight accessible, affordable and practical for the average person. Before Robinson, helicopters were primarily reserved for military use, para-public organizations and large corporations. The R22 changed all that, and it quickly became the world’s best-selling civilian helicopter, setting multiple world records in speed and altitude. In the 1980s, Robinson developed the four-seat R44, which received FAA certification in 1992. By 2010, more than 5,000 R44s had been delivered. Robinson retired in 2010 at age 80, just before the launch and FAA certification of the R66 Turbine. Frank Robinson’s groundbreaking contributions earned him numerous awards, including the prestigious Daniel Guggenheim Medal in 2013 that recognized his “conception, design, and manufacture of quiet, affordable, reliable, and versatile helicopters.”

Frank was also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Cierva Lecturer, a full member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a Fellow of the American Helicopter Society. Robinson donated $1 million to the University of Washington for an endowed tuition scholarship fund based on financial need for students graduating from South Whidbey High School, where he grew up, and another $1 million for students majoring in engineering. He also donated $1 million to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and $1 million to the American Helicopter Museum in Westchester, Pennsylvania. Frank Robinson died at his home in Rolling Hills, California, on November 12, 2022, at age 92, leaving his legacy of having transformed the helicopter industry and built Robinson Helicopter Company into the world’s leading producer of civilian helicopters.

FRANK’S AWARDS & HONORS

1992

Laurels Award

for having made significant contributions to the global field of aerospace

•

Bestowed by

- Aviation Week & Space Technology

1993

Dr. Alexander Klemin Award

for notable achievement in the advancement  of rotary wing aeronautics

•

Bestowed by

- American Helicopter Society

1997

The Doolittle Award

for outstanding professional accomplishment in  Aerospace Technical Management and Engineering

•

Bestowed by

- Society of Experimental Test Pilots

1998

Entrepreneur of the Year Western Region, Manufacturing

to recognize excellence and entrepreneurial  accomplishment

•

Bestowed by

- Ernst & Young, et. al.

2000

Laurels Hall of Fame Legend

Inductees are chosen from past Laurels winners meriting  exceptional recognition for significant contributions to  the global field of aerospace

•

Bestowed by

- Aviation Week & Space Technology

2001

Paul Tissandier Diploma

for his years of contributions to the field of rotorcraft  aviation. (Awarded to those who have served the cause  of general aviation by their work, initiative, devotion,  or in other ways.)

•

Bestowed by

- Federation Aeronautique Internationale

2004

Howard Hughes Memorial Award

for significant contributions to the advancement  of aviation or space technology

•

Bestowed by

- Southern California Aeronautic Association

2004

Cabot Award

in recognition of unique, significant, unparalleled  contributions to advance and foster aviation or  space flight

•

Bestowed by

- Aero Club of New England

2009

Aviation Legend Hall of Fame

for his contributions to aviation and aviation technology

•

Bestowed by

- San Diego Air & Space Museum

2010

Cierva Lecturer

The Need for Simplicity in Helicopter Design

•

Bestowed by

- Royal Aeronautical Society

2011

U.S. National Academy of Engineering

for the conception, design, and manufacture of low-noise,  low life-cycle cost, and high-reliability helicopters.

•

Bestowed by

- U.S. National Academy of Engineering

2011

Lifetime Aviation Engineering Award

for his determination and goal to make a small,  inexpensive helicopter for civil use.

•

Bestowed by

- Living Legends of Aviation

2013

Daniel Guggenheim Medal

for his conception, design, and manufacture of quiet,  affordable, reliable, and versatile helicopters

•

Bestowed by

- American Helicopter Society International

- American Society of Mechanical Engineers

- Society of Automotive Engineers

- American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics

ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY

MANAGEMENT TEAM

ABOUT FRANK ROBINSON

FRANK’S AWARDS & HONORS

ROBINSON PAST EVENTS