1510 W. Drake Drive, Tempe, Arizona USA 85283
VHA Completes First Set of Hover Tests on Gen3 MD530F Main Blades
The third time seems to be the charm.
At the end of two days of ground run-ups and brief hovers in ground effect for track and balance, the VHA flight test team was able to hover the MD 530F out of ground effect with our new third generation (Gen3) composite main rotor blades. According to VHA founder and president James R. Van Horn during a company celebration at the end of the second day, the initial data looks very good with control loads similar to those currently generated by the metal blades.
“Two days after we first bolted on these new blades, we were able to get farther into testing and gather more data than we could get in four weeks of trying to balance the second generation blades,” Van Horn said. “It looks like we’ve fixed the issues and we’re ready for up and away testing in the next few weeks.”
The hover tests were conducted in the back lot at VHA’s Tempe facility. Flight tests involving translational flight, forward flight and side slips will be conducted at Mesa, Arizona’s Falcon Field.
To see a composite video of the day’s flight tests, click here. You can also find this video on the VanHornAviation YouTube channel.
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For 206L LongRanger operators flying P/N 20633000-101 serial numbers A007-A009 or A012-A104, we would like to remind you that these blades are subject to AD 2022-22-08, which requires recurring tap inspections every 400 flight hours or 2,400 engine starts, whichever comes first. You can learn more about the tap test requirements and procedure in our video . These blades are likely to develop a delamination in the area of the weight pocket on the lower surface of the blade. The AD further requires removing the blades from service if the delamination reaches 6 inches in length. However, extensive company testing indicates that all blades will likely achieve their full retirement life before that occurs. So long as the delamination is monitored and does not exceed the permitted length, the blades are entirely safe to fly with no adverse effects on aircraft behavior or performance. Operators are required to report their findings at every inspection interval to VHA for tracking using the form on the last page of Service Bulletin 33000-4 . Completed forms should be emailed to info@vanhornaviation.com . Providing this data helps to ensure all operators of these blades remain safe. All of the identified blades are likely to have delaminations, so if none are detected please contact us for assistance. In addition, this AD is considered an interim action and once sufficient data is gathered it may be updated to reduce the required frequency of inspection. Refer to AD 2022-22-08 and SB 33000-4 for further information.
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