Helicopter Flight Information

The Robinson R44

The Robinson R44 Four place Helicopter

When Frank Robinson and his Company created the R44 they certainly created a winner. This helicopter is powered by a reliable Lycoming 540 CI reciprocating engine, and has an average empty weight of about 1625 pounds, with a Maximum Gross Weight limit of 2500 pounds. The early models have a certificated max gross weight of 2400 pounds. The R44 carries a Maximum of 48 gallons of fuel and burns 14 gallons per hour (should be flight planned at 15). With full fuel, the R44 can carry an additional 587 pounds (later models) of passengers and/or cargo (average). This equates to four 146 pound people, three 195 pound people, or any other combination that does not exceed the maximum rated gross weight. The earlier models, or Raven I or equivalent had an average empty weight of 1,600 pounds, but a lower max gross which made the average available weight capacity only 512 pounds.

Although not a replacement for the light turbine Bell 206 B and the MD 500, the Robinson R44 fills a "market hole" that was left open by the other US helicopter manufacturers when they went into the turbine market in the early 1960's. From a business standpoint, it was negligent for other US helicopter makers to ignore the need for a light piston engine helicopter. I am sure however that other manufacturers such as Bell, and MD thought that their new turbines would be all that was necessary. Back then, Frank Robinson worked at Hughes, and tried to convince them of the need for a light helicopter such as the R22, and R44 (or so the rumor goes). In the early 1970's, Frank Robinson boldly went out on his own, and created the R22 (certificated in 1979), and the R44 (certificated in 1993), and he has never looked back. You can be certain however, that the Robinson Helicopter Company has turned the heads of every other helicopter manufacturer in the world. There is no disputing the fact that the R22, and R44, in their class, have no competition.

Although the R44 is often billed as a direct competitor to the Bell Jet Ranger, and the MD 500 (which it is in come cases), it is not an equal. Because I support Frank Robinson and his Company, I have been disappointed to see some of the information which has been supported by the Robinson Helicopter Company and which I see as somewhat misleading. It is because of this that I post the information here. Regardless, I do not dispute the fact that the R44 is an excellent and safe helicopter.

The information that has lead me to this writing is an article titled, "Turbine Reliability", published in Rotor and Wing magazine March 2003, which was written by Robinson Helicopter Company's Chief Flight Instructor, Tim Tucker.

Discrepancies in the Turbine Reliability Article:

Note the figures on page two of the article: I find it interesting that Tim Tucker used the total number of accidents, and did not mention the fact that there are literally thousands more Bell 206 helicopters alone, not to mention the fact that there are also hundreds if not thousands more MD 500 helicopters flying, than there are Robinson R44 helicopters. Another very important issue to note is that when using a model such as the Bell 206, this takes in both the B and L models, which are as different as the R22 and the R44. The Bell 206 L is the Long Ranger which is a much larger 7 place helicopter.

In the time frame depicted in Figure One, there were less than 500 Robinson R44 helicopters ever manufactured, yet the comparison is of the R44 to two different manufacturers which have many times as many helicopters in the air which were manufactured since the early 1960's. Due to the fact that the R44 had only been in production for 4 years, they had not logged any appreciable number of flight hours to be compared to helicopters that were literally logging more than a million flight hours every single year.

During the first 128 months (10 years and 8 months, 2/1993 - 9/2003) that the R44 was manufactured, 1,511 helicopters were made. This equates to an average of 11.8 helicopters manufactured per month from day one (which is not actual because there were less in the early years, and more in the later years), but is close enough for this purpose. This means that in the entire four year period depicted in Figure One, there were only 566 helicopters made at best. During the four year period depicted in Figure Two, there would have been only a total of 1,085 R44 helicopters ever built.

Note also that in the two four year periods in these two figures, the numbers are comparing all Robinson helicopters produced even if they were just sold, and had no appreciable hours on them yet. The only fair comparison then, would have been to compare an equivalent number of helicopters manufactured in a similar time period by the manufacturers chosen to compare. This would have resulted in incredibly different numbers.

Note the four year period depicted in Figure Two: In this figure, the insinuation is that the R44 is safer than the Bell Jet Ranger and the MD 500. This comparison is of totally incomparable numbers; comparing helicopters which were flying literally millions of hours, and had been for nearly 30 years (the Jet Ranger and MD 500), to helicopters which were flying barely a few thousand hours (the R44), for only a very few years.

The Factual History Reported by HAI (Helicopter Association International):

Note on page one of the HAI report, the number of Single Engine turbine hours flown annually to the number of reciprocating engine hours flown annually. You may compare your choice of years, and you will get similar results; here we will use the year 2003, the year of the article. The single engine turbine flew 242 percent more hours annually, yet only incurred a total of 17 more fatalities than reciprocating engine helicopters in the same period.

Note that the accident rate per 100,000 hours flown (the only accurate way to measure a comparison), was 21.8 for reciprocating engine helicopters, while only 6.73 for single engine turbine helicopters.

Note the fatal accident rate, also per 100,000 hours flown: Reciprocating engines - 3.0, and single engine turbine - 1.39. Isn't this interesting? There are more interesting figures on the remaining two pages of the HAI report. Things change when more realistic comparisons are made.

In the end, the R44 is still an excellent helicopter with an impeccable safety record. If the helicopter job at hand requires a light load of, say a pilot, two adult passengers, and a child, light duty executive transport, personal transport, or light duty police and ENG work, then the R44 is an exceptional choice.

If on the other hand, the duty at hand requires a larger load than the 587 pounds permitted by the Robinson R44, then the Bell 206 Jet Ranger, or the MD 500 is the appropriate choice.

The Costs of Operating the R44:

The actual cost of operating the R44 helicopter is a good bit more than the Operations Cost Statement (hereafter referred to as the ROCS) published by Robinson (this is no different for any make helicopter since all manufacturers use similar means of achieving the numbers), especially if you will use the helicopter for commercial operations. We will just go down the list from the top so it is easy to follow along. Also note that most operators who use the R44 for personal transport do not fly more than 100 hours per year, in fact they often fly less than 80 hours per year. It is important to note that the most common use of the R44 is personal transport.

Insurance will cost from $21-25,000 per year. The insurance which is used to figure the ROCS is using Pathfinder®, which is an off-shore provider owned by Robinson. Why are they off-shore? To protect from lawsuits. It is a good insurance company, however when you insure with Pathfinder®, the insured hull value depreciates with hours remaining on the aircraft. This means that if you have an accident, or if you have storm damage, or anything else, you may not get paid a flat value of the aircraft as other insurance companies do. This may be acceptable, if perhaps you can take the hit of a low insurance payment in the event of a loss. The insurance cost just more than doubled if you cannot except the risk of using Pathfinder®.

Next we have the overhaul reserves. The overhaul reserves are very important. There are many used aircraft sitting on airport ramps and in hangers just because the owners scratched together everything they had to purchase the aircraft, and then failed to set aside the funds that would be necessary to rebuild the aircraft when the time came. Overhaul reserves are expensive and must be set aside, and are a part of the operating costs of any aircraft. The most significant difference in the ROCS is the fact that in the parts kit supplied by the factory, there are no miscellaneous items such as engine mounts etc. If the helicopter is returned to the factory for overhaul (which I am told that for the R44 there is no choice), the cost of overhaul will increase by many thousands of dollars. There are many things that must be done at overhaul time which are not covered in the ROCS. If the R44 is returned to the factory for overhaul, which is the only right way to do it, the cost will be at least $60,000 more than shown in the ROCS. These facts put the reserve at $91.86 per hour. Be very cautious of the Overhaul Cost Spike.

Next comes the costs of fuel and oil. I can promise you that you will not average $2 per gallon for fuel. It is far better to plan for more than less. Another important issue here is the fact that the burn rate is shown at 14 gph. Although it is likely that the average burn will be 14 gph or less, I would plan 15. For the cost of fuel, very few airports are selling for less than $2.50, and many are selling at $3.75 and more. I even found one that is selling at $4.25 (KOCF). For the R44, I figure the average at $3.00 per gallon and 15 gph.

Maintenance. This is one where there is a lot of variation. Some owners like to participate in the maintenance, and this will reduce the costs somewhat if you can find a mechanic that will allow your participation. Another issue is whether or not you will even do the 100-hour inspections. I say that it is imperative to safety that the 100-hour inspections are completed as recommended. If you fly more than 100 hours per year, then one of these inspections will be an annual. Technically speaking, the only difference between a 100-hour inspection and an annual is the fact that 100-hour inspections may be completed and signed off by an A&P rated technician, while annual inspections must be completed and/or supervised and signed off by an A&P with an IA (Inspector Authorization). The work which takes place is the same on either inspection barring any abnormal discrepancies. I can assure you that although you may get a 100-hour inspection for the ROCS, you will not get an annual for that rate. I have found that in most cases, the annual costs in excess of $1,600. The costs of these inspections will increase as time builds on the aircraft. As a result I would add at least 50% to the ROCS for the periodic inspections.

Airport costs - Hangering fees. All manufacturers also overlook this one! They can't come up with a cost standard perhaps, but they managed to through out numbers for everything else. Don't worry, no manufacturer includes airport fees in their Ops Costs Statements. This will vary, but will usually be from $250 per month ($3,000 annually) to $450 month ($5,400 annually) depending on the metropolis where you live and work, and consequently will keep your aircraft.

Insurance - $46 per hour if you fly 500 hours per year. $23,000 / 500 hours annually

Airport costs - $6.00 per hour @ 500 hours per year & $250 month hanger fee (they forgot this)

Overhaul - $91.86 per hour - $202,098 / 2200 hours

Fuel & oil - $45.50 per hour

Maintenance and Inspections - $19.20 per hour

Actual hourly cost of operation - $205.56 per hour if you fly 500 hours per year, which will not be the case if you are a personal use operator. You may fly 500 hours the first year, however even that is very unlikely. Over all you will average far less than the 183 hours per year which are necessary for the costs of overhaul to be as stated. If you average less than 183 hours per year, the cost of overhaul spikes up tremendously. For a personal use operator, who will average less than 100 hours per year the costs will be as follows:

Insurance - $230 per hour if you fly 100 hours per year. $23,000 / 100 hours annually

Airport costs - $30.00 per hour @ 100 hours per year & $250 month hanger fee (they forgot this)

Overhaul - $91.86 per hour - $202,098 / 2200 hours

Fuel & oil - $45.50 per hour

Maintenance and Inspections - $19.20 per hour

Actual hourly cost of operation - $416.56 per hour if you fly 100 hours per year, and this does not account for the spike in the overhaul costs. What is this spike in the overhaul costs?

Overhaul Cost Spike. This cost spike is unique to the Robinson helicopters, and is applicable to both the R44, and the R22. Both the R44 and the R22 must be overhauled at 2200 hours or 12 years, whichever occurs first. Did someone forget to tell you this? Don't worry, you are not the only who didn't know. As a result of this stipulation, Robinson helicopters must fly at least 183 hours per year to achieve the hourly costs stated in the ROCS. If this does not happen, and this is the case all to often, the overhaul costs per hour increase tremendously.