Robinson believed that the news industry needed anaffordable electronic news gathering helicopter.

Frank Robinson knew this. In the

early 1980s he rocked the flight-trainingworld with his cost-effective, perfor­mance-packed two-seat R22 helicopter.It became so popular that he expandedthe design to a larger, more powerfulfour-seat version appropriately namedthe R44. In fact. it shares many of theR22's proven components, such as thepatented two-blade tri-hinge rotor andmaintenance-free Teflon-lined bear­

ings. Also, like the R22, all life-limitedcomponents have a minimum 2,000­hour time before overhaul (TBO). Thestaunch Lycoming 0-540 piston engine,derated from 260 horsepower to 205 hpfor longer life, powers the R44.

Robinson believed that the news

industry needed an affordable yet reli­able ENG (electronic news gathering)helicopter. After extensive research heinstalled state-of-the-art cameras and

recording and microwave gear on a newR44 helicopter and began marketing itas a turnkey package. Dubbed the R44Newscopter, it would find its niche withsmaller stations, Robinson figured. Thepackage turned out so well, however,

AOPA PILOT' 108. DECE~IBER 1998

that stations in larger metropolitanareas have taken notice.

One such station is Cleveland, Ohio'sCBS affiliate, WIOI Channel 19. News­hawk 19-as Cleveland viewers know

it-was placed in service in June. TomGriesdorn, the station's general manag­er, says that the low operating costsallow him to keep the helicopter flyingfor longer periods than his competitors'Bell JetRanger or Aerospatiale AStar.Indeed, on the day that 1was there tour­ing the studios, a large truck overturnedon a highway at midday, crushing a car.The other two stations' helicopters werenot flying, but within minutes News­hawk 19 began sending back to the sta­tion, via microwave, quite stable videoof the accident. The footage was spec­tacular.

On the following day I met pilot PeterRoelands and reporter Rick Abell atBurke Lakefront Airport in downtownCleveland. The helicopter's home is atthe Wadsworth airport, about 50 milesto the south, where maintenance isdone. Roelands had parked the brightyellow R44 in a grassy area reserved for

helicopters, and we headed out to take alook before our scheduled liftoff time

of 4 p.m.From a distance the two most obvi­

ous differences between the News­

copter and a standard R44 are the five­axis gyrostabilized camera ball, mount­ed on the nose, and the helicopter's bat­tery, relocated to the bottom of the tailboom, not quite midway back. The twobalance each other to maintain the heli­

copter's correct center of gravity. Closerscrutiny reveals additional antennasand a microwave pod on the belly. Asidefrom the telltale paint scheme, that'sabout it from the outside.

Inside, the helicopter's right rear seathas been removed and the space usedto house the video and microwave gear.The storage space normally foundunder the left front seat now contains

audio equipment. The Newscopter isavailable with either S-VHS or Beta S"Pvideo recorders. Two four-inch moni­

tors reside on top of the instrumentpanel. One can be tuned to any TV sta­tion (although it's normally on WIOI),and the other is a monitor for the nose-

mounted camera. Images from twoother on-board lipstick-size cam­eras can be displayed here as well.One is located on the rear stabilizer

fin to show the helicopter's fuselagein flight, and the other is in the cen­ter of the windscreen to show the

reporter during in-Hight broadcasts.The camera operator sits in the leftrear seat and has a six-inch monitor

to view camera images.Since the majority of the ENG

equipment is designed to operateoptimally at 28 volts, Robinsonupgraded the R44's electrical sys-tem from 14 to 24 volts. Although thestandard H44 maintains the original 14­volt system, Robinson now offers thehigher-voltage version as an option.

By now it was getting close to launchtime, and Abell was heading our way. Heclimbed into the rear left seat so that hecould have access to the camera controlbox, and I took the front left, also knownas the reporter's seat. There is no centerpost in an R44, so the view from everyseat is unobstructed. Through a sharedarrangement Abell would also be pro­viding airborne traffic reports for radiostation WI"AM.

711eRo/Jinson NelUscopter's /Jallery lias /Jeenrelocated to tlie /JOllOn! of the tail /Joan!, /Jal­aIlcing the camera /Jallmollnted on the nose.

The R44 shares the same advanced

cockpit features found in the R22: the T­bar cyclic control, which makes getting inand out a snap; the automatic clutchengagement; and the HPM governor thateliminates throttle twisting. Also, toreduce pilot work load, there is a carbure­tor heat assist that automatically adjustscarb heat with power changes. WithAbell, Roelands, me, and 2.5 hours offuel,the helicopter weighed 45 pounds less

than its maximum gross weight of2,400 pounds. Despite the mercury'spushing 85 degrees, Roelands liftedthe helicopter into a hover anddeparted with ease.

The helicopter is capable ofcommunicating on a multitude offrequencies and, once airborne, 1quickly realized that Abell andRoelands were listening to severalradios at the same time. The H44's

standard AlIiedSignal Bendix/KingKY197 com radio has been re-

placed with the higher RF output,24-volt Bendix/King KY196

radio. The Newscopter also comes witha II Morrow Apollo SL 60 GPS/Commradio and two 450 MHz radios. Each

seat has an audio panel that allows theuser to choose which radio he or she

wants to hear and to adjust the volumeindependently.

We weren't in the air long when theTV station called us to check out a pos­sible accident that was backing up traf­fic along Interstate 71. Approaching thearea, we found traffic stopped for miles.A closer look revealed no accident, but aconstruction zone with a stalled car

blocking access. Abell decided to video-

AOPA PILOT· 109 . IJECEMI3EH 1998

tape it, and Roelands setthe helicopter up in a 60­knot orbit at about 800

feet agl.Using a laptop control

box to direct all the func­

tions of the FUR SystemsUltraMedia-RS gyrostabi­lized camera ball, Abellcan pan 360 degrees, rollplus or minus 25 degrees,and tilt up 20 degrees anddown 110. Mounted insidethe ball is a Hitachi HV­CIOA 3-CCD broadcast­

quality color camera with700-plus lines of resolu­tion. The camera's 20: ICanon zoom lens comes

with a built-in telephotoextender, pushing the effective rangeto 40: 1.

As we circled the crippled car, I com­mented to Roelands that the R44 was

noticeably smooth for a two-blade heli­copter. With a smile, he agreed-perhapsthinking that pilot technique wasinvolved, as well. Having quite a bit offlight time in two-blade helicoptersmyself (including the R44), I know that

The helicopter's aft right seat has beenremofled and the space I/sed to hOl/se the

flideo and microwafie gear. The storage spacenormally fOl/nd l/llder the left frollt seat

contains al/dio eql/ipment.

the right blend of power and airspeedmakes a difference. Turning my attentionto the camera monitor, I was impressedby the stability of the images. However,the best was yet to come. As Abell

zoomed all the way in, wewere looking under thehood of the stalled car. Stillrock-stable. After a fewmore circles, we hadenough video. Abell gave atraffic report to the radiostation, and we headedacross town to check someother roads.

Roelands nosed the

helicopter over, and wequickly accelerated to 120knots, still smooth. Enroute, Roelands and Abellexplained how they woulddo a typical live broadcast.The pilot would circle thescene while the camera­

man would operate thenose camera and the tiny camera point­ed at my seat. The camera operatorwould switch between the scene and the

reporter as the reporter was describingthe news event. While the helicopter cir­cled, an automatic device with a built-indirectional gyro would keep themicrowave beam pointing at the TV sta­tion's antenna. Although we didn't get totry it, I had seen it perform flawlessly

AOI'A PII.OT - 110 -DECEMHEB 1998

The R44 slips through the air at 120 knots because theshape of the fuselage minimizes parasite drag.

from the studio the day before.As we were nearing the end of our

afternoon flight, Abell demonstrated thelipstick cameras. The tail-mountedcamera made for an interesting shot ofthe helicopter in flight. Since it ismounted directly to the frame, onewould expect to see some vibration.However, because the lens is fixed at awide angle of view, there is no notice­able shake. Abell switched to the onemounted above the instrument paneland I saw myself on the monitor. Again,there was no discernible vibration.

Back on the ground, Roelands andAbell talked about how every little detailhas been thought out. The helicopter has anatural feel, and all the necessary switchesare within easy reach. In fact, from thebeginning, Robinson agonized over everydetail of the R44's design. For example, theR44 can slip through the air at a remark­able 120 knots because careful attention

was paid to the shape of the fuselage tokeep parasite drag to a minimum.

Robinson applied the same philoso­phy to the Newscopter. According to theTV station's technical department, all the

ENG equipment is high quality andworks as well as, if not better than, adver­tised. The R44 Newscopter comes com­plete for $529,000 and can be operatedfor less than $120 per hour. (Operatingcosts for a single-engine turbine heli­copter are about $350 per hOUL) It

~.~ ~ .. "\'-.'. "~~.. ", \

requires no scheduled maintenancebetween 100-hour inspections and canfly around town all day, sipping just 12 to15 gallons of fuel per hour. The high relia­bility is important because Newshawk 19flies an average of five to six hours a day.

For Roelands, that makes for a longday. But it's a fun job and his heli­copter flight time is piling up fast.Although contracted to WIOI, he isemployed by Helicopter Flight, Inc.,of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The com­pany is one of the largest suppliers ofpilots and management services forthe R44. To fly the R44 Newscopter,Helicopter Flight requires 1,500 totalhelicopter hours and 75 in the R44.The company will lower the 1,500hours to 1,000 hours if the pilot has aflight instructor certificate.

At a delivery rate of one R44 News­copter per month the TV-viewing publicwill be getting quite a dose of aerial pho­tography. With nearly 14 ships alreadysold, Robinson seems poised to repeatthe prolific popularity experienced by theR22. For Frank Robinson, that is indeedgood news. 0

AOPA PILOT' III .DECEMBER 1998