Van Horn Aviation (VHA) has received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for composite main rotor blades fitting the Bell 206B JetRanger helicopter. The new VHA 206B main rotor blades have been approved with an 18,000-hour service life with 2,800 hour overhauls.
“This STC is the culmination of more than five years of design, prototyping, and testing, including extensive flight and fatigue testing,” said VHA CEO James Van Horn, who designed the blades and flew as copilot/flight test engineer during most of the certification flight testing. “Our goal was to produce composite main rotor blades that would reduce operator cost and increase durability. During flight testing, we saw and felt some improvements in responsiveness with the composite blades compared to the metal blades. We believe the JetRanger operators will be pleased with our composite blades.”
For more information on the VHA 206B Main Rotor Blade, click here.
