The Inventor of the R22 and R44

On August 10th 2010, Frank Robinson, the 80 year old Founder, President, and Chairman of Robinson Helicopter Company, announced his retirement. Frank had intended to retire on his 80th birthday in January 2010, but elected to continue until the design of the new R66 turbine helicopter was complete. His son Kurt Robinson was elected to take over as President and Chairman. So who was Frank Robinson?

Worldwide Association of Women Helicopter Pilots

The Whirly-Girls was formed in 1955 with a mere 13 members. Since then they have grown to become a diverse group of women spread throughout the world with one thing in common – they hold licenses to fly helicopters.

The Whirly-Girls organization is a non-profit 501(c)(3), educational and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in helicopter aviation through the industry’s largest pool of annual scholarships, while providing women helicopter pilots a forum for the exchange of information and opportunities. Membership is open to all women around the world who are rated helicopter pilots. As of 2008, there were more than 1,570 Whirly-Girls from 41 countries, two territories (Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands), 1 crown dependency (Channel Islands) and one special administrative region.

Hiring a Helicopter for a Special Occasion

Helicopter flights are exciting. So why not use one for a special event, such as a birthday or other celebration. You can book a flight for a special trip, go on a helicopter sightseeing tour, or even fly into your own wedding. Or it is possible to book a helicopter flying lesson and get the chance to have a go on the controls. So how does someone go about arranging to charter a helicopter?

Hints for Airfield Radio Operators

I recently wrote an article suggesting ways in which both aeroplane and helicopter pilots could improve their means of operating when in close proximity to each other. However, the pilots themselves are not the only individuals involved in airfield operations. At almost all airfields there is someone on the radio directing traffic. Aviation radio communications are a whole topic in themselves, but here I just want to suggest ways in which radio operators can improve their communications to helicopters.

A New Way to Move Your Helicopter

Ground handling of helicopters with skids involves an immense amount of work. If your helicopter has wheels, things are relatively easy. But even if you are only trying to move a small aircraft like an R22 into a hangar, the procedure involves attaching ground handling wheels and some quite difficult manoeuvring, particularly if the ground is not absolutely flat and/or the operator is rather short. However, when it comes to much larger helicopters, it is definitely a time-consuming operation, often involving several people and lots of muscle power. There has to be better way, and indeed there is. A small number of specialised ground handling companies around the world now produce more sophisticated equipment, designed to move helicopters of all sizes and types.   The solutions vary, but all of them mean that a helicopter can now be moved by one person rather than maybe requiring three or four, and with much less physical effort and risk. I took a look at one of them – the TLC Helilift.