By Ali Telling 

The Robin is a French designed aircraft originally manufactured in France as one of the Avio’ns Robin family. Originally, the various Robins were wooden aircraft with production starting in the late 50s. In the early 70s production of a metal aircraft began including a two seater specifically designed for flying school use.

The R2000 series included major design changes to the earlier craft including a completely redesigned wing, enlarged rudder and vertical fin - all things which have undoubtedly helped the R2160 earn the enviable reputation it possesses as a manoeuvrable and robust aerobatic aircraft.

Production of the R2000 series ceased temporarily in 1983 but was recommenced in 1994 with the Robin Company and CAP Aviation merging in 2001 to become Apex Aircraft based in Dijon, France, who continued to produce the Robins. Manufacturing and marketing rights for the R2160 were secured in 2004 by Alpha Aviation located in Hamilton New Zealand.

There are several schools around Australia which utilise the Robin as both a trainer and an aerobatic aircraft and who combine its two roles to offer a complete initial training package to students. While the present training syllabus does not include aerobatics there is no doubt that including aerobatic flying as part of the training process produces pilots who have a far better understanding of what an aircraft can do, what it shouldn’t be expected to do and how to cope with not so normal operations if such a situation arises. It is also something of an oversight within the Australian syllabus that allows flight instructors to only require one lesson on spin recovery during their training. I’m sure having a Robin on line at flying schools would put that particular oversight to bed.

One flying school in my part of the world which has a Robin available is Chuck McElwee’s Air Australia International. I see this aircraft flying around almost constantly so it is obviously a popular choice for students and aerobatic pilots alike. Its most regular pilot would have to be senior flight instructor Joy Jorgensen who very kindly squeezed me into the Robin’s busy schedule for an early morning flight before its hectic day started.

Having flown the Robin many years ago as a very new pilot, I remembered it as being delightfully easy to fly, a pleasure to control and not too tough to land as long as I remembered I wasn’t in my more usual Cessna and didn’t attempt to round out above the runway. A subsequent flight taken with Joy almost as many years ago showed me what the Robin was capable of aerobatically and introduced me to spins and loops. So this outing was something of a re-familiarisation flight to discover if the Robin has aged better than me.

It has. But then the Robin hasn’t had to fly with the Editor…yet. Externally, the low wing, all metal aircraft does not look dated; it certainly bears little resemblance to many other 70s trainers. In fact, it is something of a trend setter in its field and bears a striking similarity to some of the newbies on the market with its sleek, aerodynamic shape and bubble canopy. The wheel fairings always seem to detract somewhat from the sporty look of the plane but, for the decrease in drag and thus the increase in speed, they are a necessary minor blot.

The straight, rectangular wings have plenty of dihedral to assist lateral stability with the large rudder and sizeable elevator giving excellent yaw and pitch control. Setting it apart from other training aircraft of its era, the Cessnas and Pipers, is the huge bubble canopy - a feature that is being used extensively in the new generation of light aircraft. Extending around the cabin and back over the baggage area behind the seats, the canopy offers amazing visibility: an important factor for both aerobatics and for training in a busy traffic pattern where the instructor’s view is often blocked by door and window frames. The only way to improve on visibility would be for the instructor to have eyes in the back of his head.

Whilst the canopy would suggest a hot cockpit environment, this is not the case. The easy to close canopy can be left ajar until take off, allowing cooling airflow through the cockpit and, once in the air, adjustable air vents on either side of the cabin aim fresh air very effectively at both pilots.

The large canopy also offers the means of entry to the cockpit via the trailing edge of the wing with a hand hold available for those tall enough to reach it from the ground. Once in the Robin, the seats are comfortable, supportive and positioned high enough for excellent visibility over the panel without the need for cushions or stretching – bliss. The seats adjust easily to reach the pedals and I didn’t appear to have to move too far forward so perhaps the taller pilots may find it a bit of a squeeze, leg wise. Four point safety harnesses complete the seating arrangements.

The panel is well designed with all the essentials within easy reach of the pilot. A centre panel contains the fuel selector which is covered so that the fuel cannot be turned off inadvertently; it also houses the master switches, fuel pump, the switch for the electrically operated flaps and the trim wheel. Engine gauges and circuit breakers run along the bottom of the panel below the instruments and avionics with the whole topped by the annunciator display. It is very standard, simple to effectively use and completely unblocked by control columns due to not having them. Dual control sticks emanating from underneath the panel assist with an unhindered view of all the instruments and switches.

Throttle position is unusual in the Robin in that there are two throttles that extend from the instrument panel itself. Both are within easy reach of the pilot who can thus choose to fly either right or left handed. For normal flying, it’s probably easier to fly using the left hand for the control stick thereby leaving the right hand available for trimming, flap use and any necessary button pushing. The option for a right handed person to use that hand for the control stick would be hugely beneficial for the more exact control inputs required for aerobatics.

Starting the aircraft was a simple case of checking fuel pressure with the fuel pump, priming with throttle and firing up, very typical for the Lycoming. The Robin taxies easily with just a small increase in power to get things moving. Only light application of the foot-operated differential braking is required to maintain the desired direction and produces a surprisingly tight turning circle. The take off roll in the Robin is not a ‘pin the pilot back in his seat’ event; it smoothly and steadily accelerates to its take off speed, snubbing its nose at the crosswind of the morning and, with the increasing airflow over the large rudder surface, directional control was effortless. Climb out speed is 80kt with a very high nose attitude. The take off is conducted with one stage of flap selected; retracting the flap after take off results in a slight pitch change and trim adjustment.

A subsequent enroute climb achieved an initial 1000 fpm rate of climb as we converted speed for height and settled down to a respectable 700 fpm once established at 80kt. This is generally far better than the average two seater of this generation and is essential when aerobatics is the order of the day and you need to get to your required altitude as quickly as possible to get on with the important stuff. A decent rate of climb is also desirable for a general trainer where so much of the lesson time and student’s money can be wasted climbing between sequences such as in practice forced landings.

The Robin is powered by the Lycoming O 320D engine developing 160hp, giving it an excellent power to weight ratio. This engine certainly gives the Robin adequate power for its aerobatic requirements which, together with the firm control stick responses from the large control surfaces, the great visibility and the robustness of its build, ensures a solid aerobatic platform. The 160hp engine also delivers good cruise speeds with the boasted 120kt normal cruise being achieved at 2500RPM. It sits solidly, even in the slow cruise configuration, with good control responses still achievable and once trimmed, stays put in the desired attitude at all speeds.

The control responsiveness that is essential for aerobatics is still evident at touch down speeds. Slowing the Robin down to its 80kt approach speed with half flap deflection was simple with a decisive power reduction. Once trimmed, the Robin would happily fly itself to the ground and landing the aeroplane is simplicity itself; one just has to fly it right to the ground and hold the nose wheel off for a tidy finish. Full flap is taken on final with the approach speed being reduced to 70kt.

 At this point I was paying particular attention to not rounding out, Cessna style. The elevator has such a large surface area that only minor control surface adjustments are necessary, a fact that obviously escaped me as a new pilot. Many years and flying hours have obviously counted for something as I managed to avoid rounding out, merely applying a very minor pitch adjustment. Reducing power to idle and holding off with the crosswind again not causing any directional or drift problems the touch down was completed rather nicely.

It’s great that production of the Robin was reintroduced back in the 90s to maintain supplies of an aircraft that can combine its aerobatic and training roles. Unfortunately, the recent news that Alpha Aviation have gone into liquidation spells an uncertain time for the Robin’s future. With luck, someone out there will realise the Robin’s continuing role in the aviating world and ensure that production of this sturdy and fun to fly little aircraft continues for many years to come.