Our current fleet of helicopters consists of three Robinson R44 helicopters. These were purchased new in 2004. We have a further two R44 helicopters on order for delivery late in 2009. These are a Robinson R44 police helicopter and a Robinson R44 instrument trainer. This will bring our total to five Robinson helicopters. We also have plans to expand into light and medium turbine helicopters.

Why Robinsons?
This is simple to answer. Safety. Performance. Reliability. The Robinson Helicopter Company in Torrance California is the home of the best selling helicopters in the world. The reason for that is simply that they offer the best safety, performance and reliability of any helicopter in their class.

For us at Akagera Aviation, safety is not negotiable. The Robinson R44 gave us an easy to use, reliable aircraft with which to launch our services. This allowed us to combine the functions of charter, aerial services and training using one platform. Robinson helicopters are the most widely used helicopter for training throughout the world.

Specifications
The Robinson R44 Raven II is a four seater helicopter. It is powered by a Lycoming IO 540 fuel injected engine capable of delivering better power and performance for the altitudes in Rwanda.
•    It has a gross weight of 2500lbs which gives it a usable payload of nearly 1000lbs.
•    It has a sea level cruise speed of 215km/hour.
•    Hover in ground effect is possible at max gross weight up to 8950ft above sea level.
•    Hover out of ground effect at 2300lbs is possible at 7500ft above sea level.
•    It has an endurance of nearly three hours which in Rwanda means that any part of the country is easily accessible.
•    It has a maximum operating altitude of 14000ft.

All this combines into a comfortable, fast, safe and reliable helicopter that we can offer at reasonable rates to you our client. Add to this comfortable individual seating for three passengers each with a window for viewing the scenery and you have a winning formula.

Why the move to turbines then?
As we expand we find that the request for our services are more diverse and in some cases require a bigger helicopter. For larger groups or people with lots of luggage a light or medium turbine helicopter offers a perfect solution. The larger platform also enables us to add equipment such as stretchers for emergency medical evacuation, a service that we are hoping to provide in the very near future. Keep an eye on our news section for developments in this regard.