The Robin DR500 Président is a wooden low wing monoplane, manufactured by

Robin Aircraft Robin Aircraft is a French manufacturer of light aircraft. It succeeds to ''Centre-Est Aéronautique'', ''Avions Pierre Robin'' and Apex Aircraft (''Avions Robin'' and ''Robin Aviation''). History Centre-Est Aéronautique was formed by Pierre R ...

and marketed as a top-of-the-range

DR400 The Robin DR400 is a single-engine wooden monoplane produced by Robin Aircraft (formerly "Avions Pierre Robin"). The Robin DR400 is widely used in flight schools and for private use in France. Description The Robin DR400 was released in 1972, ...

. It has a tricycle undercarriage, 4+1 seating configuration, is powered by a more powerful 200CV fuel-injected Lycoming engine and is larger and better-equipped than the standard

Development

The Robin DR500 concept first originated in the 1980s as the DR.400 NGL or ''Nouvelle Génération Large'', but the idea was not resurrected until the late 1990s by the new owners of

. It took its name from the HR.100/250TR Président of 1974. Known and marketed as the DR500, it is actually an extension of the

type certificate A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). Certification confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production is in compliance w ...

, so is sometimes referenced in official documents as the DR400/500. It was intended to fill the niche between 180 hp fixed undercarriage and 250 hp retractable undercarriage aircraft, with 1500 km range at cruise speeds of . The maiden flight of prototype F-WZZY was on 29 May 1997 with Daniel Müller as test pilot. 18 were produced in 1999 and 9 in 2000.

Design

Compared to the original

, the DR500 has a larger engine cowling and a larger bubble-like canopy like that on the

R3000 The R3000 is a 32-bit RISC microprocessor chipset developed by MIPS Computer Systems that implemented the MIPS I instruction set architecture (ISA). Introduced in June 1988, it was the second MIPS implementation, succeeding the R2000 microprocesso ...

or X4, making the cabin 40 cm longer, 10 cm wider at the shoulders and providing 5 cm more headroom. Like the

Jodel D140 The SAN Jodel D.140 Mousquetaire (Musketeer) is a French five-seat light touring monoplane based on the earlier Jodel D.11, Jodel D.117 and built by Société Aéronautique Normande (SAN) at Bernay. Development SAN had been producing the earlier ...

, it has five seatbelts. The DR500 has a new instrument panel, finished in grey and beige, and leather seats as standard; electric

trim Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), or ...

and electrically operated flaps are also standard. The wing is slightly thicker than that on the DR400, and it benefits from new, more streamlined wheel fairings. The DR500 is powered by a fuel-injected 200 hp Lycoming driving a two-blade

Hartzell Hartzell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Andy Hartzell, American cartoonist * C. C. Hartzell, American confectioner * Carl Hartzell (born 1967), Swedish diplomat *Curt Hartzell (1891–1975), Swedish gymnast * Eric Hartzell ...

variable-pitch propeller. There is a gas strut to keep the externally-accessible luggage compartment door open. Total fuel capacity is 275 litres: two 40l wing tanks, 105l under the floor, and an optional 90l tank under the baggage compartment.

Variants

;DR.500-200I Président :Powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 engine

Specifications

References

Bibliography

* Besse, Francois ''La Saga Robin (de 1957 à nos jours)''. Mayenne: Jouve, 2012. * Masse, Xavier ''Avions Robin (du Jodel-Robin de 1957 au DR.500 de 2000)''. Paris: Nouvelles Editions Latines, 2000. * The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2799 * R.W.Simpson, ''Airlife's General Aviation'', Airlife Publishing, England, 1991, {{Robin aircraft Low-wing aircraft Robin aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1997 Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear Single-engined piston aircraft