A private tour of the high-tech Robinson Helicopter Company plant at Torrance was hosted by CEO Frank Robinson for SCAA members and other guests April 26.
Robinson, who was the 2004 recipient of SCAA’s Howard Hughes Memorial Award, told the visitors that his company -- the world’s largest producer of civil helicopters -- will soon begin building a turbine-powered craft in addition to its successful piston-engine models.
The new version, to be called the R66, will use a Rolls-Royce turbine engine and will join the Lycoming-powered R22 and R44 models built by the company for many years,
The Torrance plant, which uses state-of-the-art tooling and machinery, currently employs about 1,200 people and is delivering its aircraft to customers worldwide at the rate of more than 800 per year. The two-seat R22 and four-seat R44 models are all piston-powered.
Robinson told the visitors that he made a decision to branch into turbine power because “a whole segment of the market demands it. And if that’s what they want, that’s what we will make,” he said.
Among the 60-plus visitors taking the plant tour were members of the Flight Path Learning Center board of directors and others representing the Western Museum of Flight. Both groups were invited by the SCAA to participate in the visit.
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