n late June 2013, representatives from MD Helicopters arrived at VHA’s Tempe, Arizona, facility to obtain baseline weight measurements of the MD530F test ship. The aircraft was weighed with the current metal main rotor blades and all test equipment to provide a baseline weight for flight testing, which is expected to begin in July.
The VHA composite main rotor blades will be individually weighed and the difference in weight accounted for during the flight tests. VHA personnel expect to conduct hover tests at the VHA facility, then move the fully instrumented ship back to the MD Helicopters facility at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, for transitional and high speed testing.
