The two-seat R22 was designed in 1973 by Frank Robinson and has been in production since 1979. The R22 is a light, two-place, single reciprocating-engined helicopter with a semi-rigid two-bladed main rotor and a two-bladed tail rotor. The main rotor has a teetering hinge and two coning hinges. The tail rotor has only a teetering hinge. The normal production variant has skid landing gear. The Mariner version — which is no longer manufactured — provided floats. Wheeled gear is not available. The basic structure is welded chromoly steel tubing. The forward fuselage is made of fiberglass and aluminum with a Plexiglas canopy. The tailcone and vertical and horizontal stabilizers are aluminum. It has an enclosed cabin with side-by-side seating for a pilot and passenger. The doors may be removed for flight, as is often done for photographic flights, interior cooling in high temperatures, or a 10.4 lb weight saving. A check of the Australian Aircraft Register shows there are more than 500 R22's registered in Austratlia. For more details including variants, click here. Helicopter mustering by R22.
