Robinson Helicopter Company announced Friday that it has sold its 5,000th R44 Raven II, more than two decades after introducing the four-seat piston helicopter. The milestone aircraft was purchased by Robinson dealer ARICA in Ecuador.
“The delivery of the 5,000th R44 Raven II is a testament to the lasting trust operators around the world place in Robinson,” company President and CEO David Smith said in Robinson’s announcement.
The R44 entered production in 1993, and Robinson introduced the Raven II in 2002. The Raven II uses a fuel-injected Lycoming IO-540 engine and is used for flight training, agricultural operations, private flying and other commercial missions. Robinson delivered its 5,000th R44 across all variants in 2009.
“…announced Friday that it sold it’s 5,000th R44 Raven II, more than two decades after introducing the four-seat piston helicopter…”
“The R44 entered production in 1993…”
Well, I guess 33 years is, technically, more than two decades, but…
Now I understand why most Piper aircraft have manual flaps.