i got to fly the first commercial robbie at pacific wing and rotor's facility at long beach all those years ago. hi tim!
i was in australia when the first one arrived at bankstown.
i have flown thousands of hours in them in training and cattle mustering.
believe me i've seen them take a pounding.
frank should take note of the machines ability to take abuse and double the time between overhaul, after all they are doing that, plus, anyway.
i have noted nearly all of the accidents involving this type since then.
main rotor divergence and all these other sideslipping problems that i read about on this forum don't seem to occur over here.
why is that? do we know something the rest of the world doesn't?
the main cause of robbie accidents in australia is unfortunately attributable to the pilot. this fact is readily available in our crash comics.
there have been however a few unexplained and/or unprosecuted accidents with the machine on ferry flights.
departure of the main rotor head and blades from the helicopter. pilot deceased. a/c hours unknown.
aircraft breaking up in the air. pilot deceased. a/c hours less than 2000. eight year old mustering machine
in the case of one in flight accident that i have been able to investigate point to one main rotor blade stiking the tail boom in a flat position not a severing motion as if the blade had a normal pitch angle.
i believe that the pitch change links on all aicraft involved in these types of accidents should be tested as i think that there could be a connection.
over a third of the fleet in australia are robbies and they do a massive amount of hours.
the average robbie out mustering will do about 1200 hours per season, some of these machines have been years without a 2000 hourly. they are not crashing due to an aerodynamic problem or mechanical failure.
according to frank the machine was never meant to work hard so why is it certificated in that category. money.
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your too high,your too low, your too fast your too slow