Torrance, CA (13 November 2022) — On November 12, 2022 Robinson Helicopter Company bid a final farewell to its founder, Frank Robinson. Robinson, 92, passed away peacefully at his Rolling Hills, California home.

One of the most recognizable names in the helicopter industry, Frank Robinson was a pioneer, a man not driven by reward or accolades but by a vision that redefined the industry and forever changed general aviation.

Robinson will be remembered for the design and manufacture of the R22, R44, and R66 model helicopters. Known for their simplicity and reliability, the popular helicopters have a distinct profile and can be spotted easily and frequently all over the world.

Robinson’s fascination with helicopters began in 1939, at age nine, when he saw a picture in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer of Igor Sikorsky hovering his VS-300 helicopter, an image that captivated Robinson and set the course for his life’s work.

He earned a BSME degree from the University of Washington, later attending Wichita State University’s graduate aeronautical engineering school.  His career began in the late ‘50s with Cessna and continued through the ‘60s working for many leading aerospace companies, including Bell and Hughes. In 1973, at age forty-three, unable to interest any of his employers in the idea for a simple, personal helicopter, he resigned from his job at Hughes and founded Robinson Helicopter Company in his Palos Verdes, California home. Six years later, defying critics and overcoming enormous obstacles, Robinson was granted FAA certification for his two-place, piston powered R22 helicopter. The unknown helicopter company delivered its first production R22 in October 1979. By 1989, the R22 had gained a foothold in general aviation, opening a previously untapped market for private helicopter ownership.

In the early ‘90s, realizing the potential for a light mid-size helicopter, Robinson introduced the four-place piston powered R44. Orders for the R44 quickly piled-up and the company became a recognized player in the aviation industry. In 2010, Robinson once again expanded his line with the five-place, turbine powered R66.

Robinson’s relentless determination earned him the respect of both colleagues and competitors. Affectionately called a rock star in certain aviation circles, Robinson retired in 2010 at age 80.

The list of awards and honors bestowed on Robinson is long.  Most notable:

2013      Daniel Guggenheim Medal – AHS International

                                2011      Lifetime Aviation Engineering Award – Living Legends of Aviation

2010      Cierve Lecturer – Royal Aeronautical Society

2011      Inducted into the U.S. National Academy of Engineering

2004      Howard Hughes Memorial Award – So. California Aeronautic Association

2000      Named Laurels Hall of Fame Legend – Aviation Week & Space Technology

1997      The Doolittle Award – Society of Experimental Test Pilots

1992      Laurels Award – Aviation Week & Space Technology

1991 & 1990      Igor I. Sikorsky International Trophy – American Helicopter Society

Today, the company continues under the leadership of Frank’s son, Kurt Robinson and, to date, has delivered over 13,000 helicopters worldwide.

The Experimental Aircraft Association announced its support for possible reform and expansion of the FAA's Letter of Deviation Authority (LODA). 

The changes desired by the EAA would allow more instructors to provide transition training in experimental aircraft while being compensated for use of the aircraft. The EAA's latest efforts focus on traditional LODAs used for compensated flight training, in line with the original intent of the system. It has gained some popularity over the last decade, allowing instructors across the country to offer flight training in various types of experimental aircraft. The EAA's preferred expansion to the program would make transition training more viable by bolstering a lesser-known portion of the LODA program that allows primary training for ultralights and light sport aircraft.

The LODA system, in this sense, was a sort of legislative sidestep that allowed the FAA to provide "quick relief to those operators affected by the district court ruling in Warbird Adventures v FAA." That case, the EAA says, "disrupted the ability of experimental, limited, and primary category aircraft operators to hire instructors to train in the operator’s own aircraft." The EAA has assisted experimental aircraft owners and instructors as they navigate their way through the system by walking them through the LODA process to fix the issue. The EAA also holds an exemption that covers owners of limited category aircraft.

The Association has stressed that while they are pursing legislative solutions to the issue, the FAA has assured them that it is hard at work on a fast rulemaking fix (which, while fast-tracked, is still limited to the speed of bureaucracy).

A policy expansion and advisory circular were released in 2015, with an updated rulemaking fix patching up legal shortcomings put out for public comment in 2018. Since then, though, the EAA says that it has been continually delayed in the years since. They believe that recent attention on the Warbird Adventures case presents a prime opportunity to capitalize on, saying that the focus on LODA utility "may help finally nudge these reforms across the finish line."

The EAA approached the General Aviation Joint Safety Committee at its recent quarterly meeting, who agreed to highlight the issue until a lasting solution is found. 

Slovenia-based Pipistrel is the only company currently selling a certified electric training aircraft. In this week’s news, we learned that Textron Inc., the U.S.conglomerate that includes Cessna and Beechcraft, has added Pipistrel to its stable of companies. In this video, which first appeared in 2019, find out what Textron got in the deal with an undisclosed price tag.  

Van's has issued a service bulletin for RV-12 and RV-12iS aircraft, specifically requiring owners to inspect the lower portion of the tailcone for cracks, and install stiffening equipment to bolster them should damage be found.   

A new course developed by Flight Service and available on FAASafety.gov provides students and VFR pilots guidance on how to conduct a safe and regulatory compliant preflight self-briefing using automated weather resources. The objective of the course is to ensure that the pilot understands aviation weather basics and learns to apply meteorological and aeronautical information in a systematic manner to plan a safe flight. The course includes scenarios, real-life examples, videos, reference materials, and practice exercises for pilots to conduct on their own or with their flight instructor. Access the WINGS credit course here: http://bit.ly/ALC683.  

The FAA has recently issued a general notice with regard to Surface Safety.  Several recent Runway Incursions have been attributed to communications. The most important concept in pilot-controller communications is understanding. Pilots must acknowledge each radio communication with Air Traffic Control (ATC) by using the appropriate aircraft call sign and confirming all hold short instructions.