Once every blue moon an innovator comes along that completely disrupts an industry and sets the bar far higher.

Robinson Helicopters is a perfect example of such an innovator. When it originally launched its R22 back in 1979 it transformed the industry by making helicopter flying far more affordable and accessible. The change was so profound that almost anyone who’d ever had learning to fly a helicopter on their bucket list, was able to do so.

The R22 was the ultimate helicopter pilot maker; small, light, nimble, and far more affordable than the legacy helicopters of the time. It taught the basics of helicopter flying to tens of thousands of neophyte pilots. And then, 101 years later, Robinson needed to make it more useful, so they upgraded the R22 to the 4-seater R44, albeit still powered by a clunky Lycoming 260 horsepower piston engine.

Another 15 years went by and then, in 2010, Robinson flew their next big step up, the turbine powered R66. For many critics the R66 was a pumped-up R44, and indeed at first glance, they are hard to tell apart. Since the R22 the changes have been incremental. The R44 was two seats larger than the R22 and the R66 is just a single seat larger.

Founder Frank Robinson died in 2022, at the ripe age of 92, leaving a legacy of having become the most successful helicopter manufacturer in the world. With Frank’s death Robinson Helicopter’s competitors wondered whether this was going to be the end of an era of innovation that had turned a hidebound industry on its head.

Just two years after Frank’s death, in late 2024, a secret that Robinson had managed successfully to keep under wraps began to leak out of its Torrance, Los Angeles, factory. And this time the secret was not an evolutionary change but a revolutionary leap forward.  

The Design

The R88 is a clean sheet design, and not simply an enlarged R66. It was designed for a multitude of missions, to be a utility ‘pick-up truck’ for the helicopter market. It is therefore significantly larger than the 5-place R66.

The R88 takes Robinson into a whole new market with its 10-place cabin. The engine is naturally a turbine – but following Bell’s lead on the 505 JetRanger, it uses a French Safran engine. (I have to wonder what the impact of Trump tariffs could have on its price.)

It is interesting to note that the R66 is a lightweight and simple helicopter and so performs well on its Rolls Royce RR300 270 shp engine. Interestingly, this engine makes the R66 empty weight lower than the Lycoming O-540 six-cylinder powered R44.

In contrast to the R66, the R88 ‘s Safran Arriel 2W turboshaft is a 1,000 shp engine making it almost four more powerful than the R66’s RR300. In keeping with the 21st century, it has full dual channel FADEC electronic control.

Looks

The crowd at the Verticon expo reckons that the R88 looks like a compact Bell UH-1 Huey. Like the Vietnam icon, it has been optimised for people transport and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) work. Notable in this role is an innovative fold down door at the rear of the cabin, which is where the engine is located on the smaller models. For firefighting operations it will have the ability to sling 3000 pounds.

A feature of the design philosophy is that it is focused on conventional, easily repaired materials and not on elaborate composites and difficult to repair honeycomb materials.

Perhaps surprisingly, in addition to its role as a utility helicopter, Smith has targeted the mixed civil, tourism and private operators, specifically, pilots who currently own or operate an R44 or R66 but now wish to upgrade. There are so many thousands of happy Robbie pilots, owners and operators out there that this must constitute a significant market.

To absorb the 1000 horsepower, the rotor blades are of necessity much larger than the R66. They are also more heavily loaded and it will be interesting to see if they produce the same characteristic whump sound as the Huey. Like any modern helicopter, noise is a key consideration, and Robinson has assured everyone that they are working hard to maximise rotor tip sound attenuation.

Add its launch at Verticon in Dallas, the R88 was equipped with high skids and that makes the boom more than high enough for most people to easily walk beneath it. This is a further key safety consideration for HEMS loading of patients into the rear of the cabin.

The key R88 numbers are a payload of 815 kg with full fuel and a range of 350 nautical miles with an endurance of more than 3.5 hours.

The Cockpit

In keeping with the company’s ‘keep it simple’ philosophy, Robinson has avoided the temptation to customise avionics for the R88. It uses the standard Garman G 500H TXi with touch-screen controls. Smith says it was a deliberate decision to not develop an integrated glass EFIS for the R88, which has the advantage of making maintenance and servicing less complicated and thus with less cost and ease of operation advantages.

For Robinson aficionados, one of the most immediately evident changes is the removal of single cyclic with a teetering bar on top. The reason they couldn’t stick with just one cyclic was simply that the cockpit has grown so wide that the two front seats are too far apart to share a single stick.

Robinson’s philosophy may be to keep it simple, but the R88 has a 4-axis autopilot as standard. This will enable it to be approved for single pilot IMC operations. Other standard features are an avionics and engine datalink and a Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS).

Standard is an inlet barrier filter for the engine and impact-resistant windscreens, certified to Part 29 standards. Optional equipment includes a 3000-pound rated cargo hook and utility basket, a wire strike protection kit and pop-out floats.

The sense of space and the utility of the cabin is greatly enhanced by there being three points of access: Through the sliding doors on either side of the cabin, which is a new feature for a Robinson, and the fold down door at the back.

A Single Engine

Robinson’s selection of a French engine must have been galling for the American engine manufacturers and Rolls Royce. But the simple truth is that the French make better engines and helicopters. Arriel Engines have accumulated over 66 million flight hours and the proven reliability of this engine was one of the key deciding factors behind Robinson going with just a single engine. So confident is both Robinson and SAFRAN, the makers of the engine, that they have provided unique engine support in the ‘Serenity package’. This is included as a standard and includes unscheduled removals and coverage for 5 years or 2000 flight hours, plus health monitoring and advanced digital data link services. CEO David Smith acknowledges that this level of additional comfort does not come for free. “We believe everybody should have top-notch service, guaranteed turnaround times and coverage for some of the unexpected events that happen. So we said we’re going to put that into the price of the aircraft. Owners will have that feeding of connection to the company and the guarantees and security around engine performance and turnaround. That will give them enormous peace of mind and support when they need it.”

Noteworthy is that Robinson elected to go the single engine route, not just for cost, but also for safety. “We have really good data from Europe where they’ve been very sensitive to single and twin-engine regulations and performance,” Smith said. “The data supports that singles are safer and have less severe consequences from a power outage than a twin-engine helicopter.” He postulates this is because the pilots of twin engine helicopters are not as prepared for engine failure as those flying single engine machines.

The belief in the inherent safety of a single turbine is underlined by the data Robinson has from the R66. Smith points out that in 2024 the R66 had notched up 2 million flight hours with no accidents, no engine, failure, no loss of power incidents and no inflight shutdowns. The further reason for the single engine choice was that it halves the components needed for the engines, thus also reducing the industry-wide challenges with the supply chain.

Operating costs

In researching the market for the R88, Robinson had concerns about the acquisition cost, the rapid rise in operation costs and the frequent non-availability of the aircraft due to parts shortages. It became evident that there was a strong need for a helicopter that was simple and easy to maintain. Further, Robinson believes that its strong focus on vertical integration of suppliers gives it an advantage in parts availability.

First Flight

Smith says Robinson is hoping for the first flight by “the end of 2025, or perhaps early in 2026”, depending on the availability of components.

The key challenge will be FAA certification, and Smith says it hopes to achieve this within 2.5 to three years after the first flight, which would be take it to 2028/29. After the FAA, Europe and Brazil are the next targets for type approval.

Like most manufacturers, Robinson will accumulate a pipeline of helicopters for delivery when it is certified. “We’re going to be building units in advance of certification. Part of our recipe is doing things in high volume and as quickly as possible,” Smith said.

Volume production is key to keeping the costs under control. Smith has set the company the challenge to build up to 200 R88s each year. This is in addition to accommodating significant growth on the R44 and R66 production lines.

The key first test was the R88’s reception at the Verticon Expo, and from all accounts, the result has been overwhelmingly positive. Smith said, “I think that people were surprised by how much we’ve put into making it a beautiful and comfortable aircraft, but one that has the best empty weight in its class and one that’s going to produce superior returns for them.”

For those who can’t wait, Robinson is taking deposits on the R88.

Conclusion

At the unveiling of the R88, Smith said, “We expect to disrupt the single engine helicopter market, offering superior performance and capabilities at a competitive price. We have a unique opportunity to provide solutions that no other manufacturer can, in a highly capable and affordable helicopter, with readily available parts and predictable maintenance. This is what our 10,000 plus existing customers have come to expect from Robinson.”

In terms of utility, the wide and flat cabin floor supports both executive and club seating arrangements as well as having more than sufficient space for a HEMS stretcher and support personnel.

Performance from the 10000 shp engine should be more than sufficient for the most arduous hot and high conditions and it has the ability to sling a 3,000 lb load.

Given Robinson’s success as a disputer, and the sales volumes it has achieved, the R88 should be a sure-fire success.