Franklin D. "Frank" Robinson is an engineer and the founder, president and Chief Executive Officer of Robinson Helicopter Company of Torrance, California.
Background
Robinson was born in Carbonado in Washington State and received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Washington in 1957, with graduate work in aeronautical engineering at the University of Wichita.
Career
In the early 1970s, he designed the Robinson R22 helicopter, a popular, light, two-place civilian aircraft. He started his engineering career in 1957 at Cessna Aircraft Company working on the Cessna Companies of Honour-1 Skyhook four-place helicopter. After 3 1⁄2 years at Cessna, he spent one year working on the certification of the Umbaugh U-17 and 4 1⁄2 years at McCulloch Aircraft Corporation performing design studies on inexpensive rotorcraft.
Robinson worked one year at Kaman Aircraft on gyrodyne-type rotorcraft.
After this he spent two years at Bell Helicopter where he earned a reputation as a "tail rotor expert". In 1969, he moved to Hughes Helicopters to work on a variety of research and development projects, including a new tail rotor for the Hughes 500 helicopter and work on the "The Quiet One" program
Robinson resigned from Hughes in 1973 and founded Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC). RHC’s first business address was Robinson’s home where the two-seat R22 helicopter was designed.
The first R22 prototype was built in a hangar at the Torrance Airport, and Robinson personally flew it on its first flight in August 1975.
On August 10, 2010, Frank Robinson announced his resignation as President and Chairman of Robinson Helicopter Company. Robinson had intended to retire on his 80th birthday in January 2010, but elected to postpone his retirement until the design of the Robinson R66 Turbine was complete. With R66 production underway and Federal Aviation Administration certification imminent, Robinson decided to make his retirement official