Hello Everybody! This page is here for you helicopter guys around the country that want to train in a real helicopter or do aerial photography or just go flying. First of all I'd like to say a few things about the difference between a Robinson and a Schweizer. The first item of discussion is the differences between the two birds. The second item to see are some pictures. I'm available to fly photo missions in a Schweizer.

1. A Schweizer has a fully articulated rotor system. A Robinson has a semi-rigid rotor system.... (what the heck are you talking about!!!?) Well... if you do a 0-g pushover, you can lose control of the rotor system and have mast bumping and come apart mid-air and die.... if you have a fully articulated system... you still have control of the rotor system... no matter if you are loading the rotor system or not.... this is(one of several) the reason that Robinson has a SFAR 73 issued against it. Robinson is the only aircraft manufacturer that has had a SFAR issued against it.... hmmmm. you do the math... you have to take a yearly refresher course for your bi-annual instead of any other aircraft at 24 months....

2. A Schwiezer has 3 blades and quite a bit of rotor mass. A Robinson has 2 blades and is considered by many in the industry to be a light-weight rotor mass system... bad bad news if you need to do an auto rotation... I'm not saying an auto cant be done safely in a R22.. I know it can be done... but the only person I know of to do one and not damage anything is my CFI friend out in Arizona. A Schweizer has much more rotor mass and you can compare how quick the rotor rpm decays by flying them. The R44 is a much better bird at Autorotations than a R22... but who wants to pay 500 bucks an hour and in many cases have to travel to California to get checked out by the company to fly the bird, just so you can rent one.

3. A Schweizer is slightly slower than a R22... and the sight picture is more nose-down in a Schweizer than a R22... but if you do the math.... does 10 kts really make a huge difference time wise when you go 25 miles? I'd rather be able for someone of lesser pilotage be able to autorotate safely in the bird I'm in.

4. You can seat 2 or 3 people in the Schweizer depending on the model.. only 2 in a Robinson.

5. You are limited to 240 lbs per seat in a Robinson R22.... it's a 600 lb limit total in a Schwiezer

6. A Robinson has a teetering control system where one stick is up and the other is down... in a Schweizer... both pilots have their own cyclic control.

7. A Schweizer has more hp than a Robinson R22.... anywhere from 180 to 220 vs 145 ish?... you tell me what you want on a hot day doing out of ground effect hover work....

8. A R22 does not need a lot of maintenance. A Schweizer needs regular greasing of the rotor head and tail rotor. I'm an A&P and an IA. The 25 hr lube takes me all of 30-45 min and that includes a real good look at the items I'm lubing.

9 Both helicopters require special tools... congratulations.... welcome to aviation

10. A Robinson is no longer flyable at 2200 hrs... not true... if you are a private operator... but nobody will be interested in buying it if they cannot fly it... The latest Schweizer has the lowest component time of 4200 hrs... you do the math...

11.  If you think I'm full of hot air... go look up the NTSB accident reports and enter Robinson and Schweizer and study the accident reports.

12. The Schweizer had struts on the landing gear and a 4 direction cyclic electric trim system... not straight legs with no shock absorbers and a bungee cord for trim....

13 Visibility is better in a Schweizer.

14. The Schweizer was designed by Hughes to be a trainer helicopter... go ask you local army pilot what they trained in... .ta da!!!! A R22 was not designed to train in.

Ladies and Gents... a Schweizer 300cb... doors are optional.

Ladies and Gents.. a R22. My friend had this one... he sold it. I believe he did not like the R22's that had blade seperation in flight if you did not have the dash 4 blades.... oops....