Look long enough at the online ads, booths at shows, and a sectional chart and the dream of living with your airplane at an airpark begins to burn ever stronger. But what if you could flip that idea on its head by living in your current house in suburbia and bringing your aircraft to you? This is the reality for owners of some Robinson R44s.
Helicopters represent the ultimate in aerial freedom, turning baseball fields, parking lots, and rooftops into landing sites. The R44 is Robinson’s four-seat everyman helicopter that was designed to bring the dream of helicopters to more pilots. It’s a goal the relatively affordable R44 has absolutely crushed.
With decent cruise speeds, reasonable fuel burn, and straightforward maintenance—even though it is pretty much the only choice for someone wanting a piston, four-place helicopter—the R44 is not a compromise. Assuming you can stomach those costly life-limited parts, you’ll be on your way to building that pad in your backyard and being the envy of suburbanites everywhere.
SPEC SHEET
Robinson R44
Powerplant: Lycoming O-540, 225 horsepower for takeoff, 205 hp continuous
Seats: 4
Length: 38 ft 3 in
Height: 10 ft 9 in
Rotor radius: 16 ft 6 in
Empty weight: 1,450 lbs
Useful load: 748 lbs
Max gross weight: 3,400 lbs
Performance
Cruise speed: 108 KTAS
Range: 200 nautical miles (no reserves)
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