Want to pick up something this weekend that your neighbor probably doesn't have? How about a personal helicopter? I'm not talking about one of the ones that look like updated versions of the Wright brothers' first Flyer; I'm talking about a state-of-the-art—and fully enclosed—R44 Raven for only $371,000.
Located in Torrance, CA, Robinson Helicopter Company is the world's leading producer of civil helicopters. Its products have a reputation for high performance, and its four-seat Model R44 is the world's most popular helicopter. There are two R44 Raven models, both of which demonstrate sleek design, impressive speed, unmatched reliability, and surprisingly low maintenance.
According to Robinson Helicopter Company's website, "The R44 Raven I offers turbine performance at an affordable piston price with high reliability, fuel economy, endurance, and comfortable hydraulic controls. This model is also available with fixed-utility floats as a Clipper I."
The high-performance R44 Raven II is designed for more payload, higher altitudes, and faster speeds with all the luxuries of the Raven I. The latest in the R44 line, this aircraft is also available as a Clipper II, police helicopter, or "newscopter."
Here are some of the selling points of the R44:
It is comparatively lightweight (2,400 lbs. max gross for the Raven I; 2,500 for the Raven II). Without a lot of inertia, if you put in a control input, the helicopter responds immediately and dramatically, like a sports sedan.
On the flipside, it is also heavy enough to maneuver solidly through wind gusts and turbulence. If you suffer from air sickness, you should have few problems in the R44.
The piston-powered engine provides instant power changes without the spool-up time of a turbine and burns about half as much fuel as a small turbine-powered engine.
The R44's maintenance and overhaul requirements are simple. Aside from oil changes, nothing in the R44 requires service between 100-hour inspections, and most components in the R44 are only overhauled at the 2,200-hour interval.
The helicopter emits less noise due to its redesigned main- and tail-rotor blades. Noise-attenuating blade-tip caps are fitted onto both sets of rotors.
And here are the basic specs:
Gross Weight
2,500 lbs.
Empty Weight Equipped
1,506 lbs.
Standard Fuel (30.6 gal.)
184 lbs.
Auxiliary Fuel (18.3 gal.)
110 lbs.
Passengers and Baggage with Standard Fuel
810 lbs.
Passengers and Baggage with Auxiliary Fuel
700 lbs.
Cruise Speed
up to 135 MPH (117 KTS)
Maximum Range (no reserve)
approximately 400 miles
Hover Ceiling IGE at 2,500 lbs.
8,950 ft.
Hover Ceiling OGE at 2,300 lbs.
7,500 ft.
Hover Ceiling OGE at 2,500 lbs.
4,500 ft.
Rate-of-Climb at 2,500 lbs. and 6,000 ft.
faster than 1,000 FPM
Maximum Operating Altitude
14,000 ft.
The R44 comes with a standard white paint base and non-metallic trim, but you can customize the look by choosing from as many colors as there are in a crayon box.
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