1510 W. Drake Drive, Tempe, Arizona USA 85283
About Us
Get TO Know Us
Our Mission
DESIGN . BUILD . FLY.
Our mission is to produce composite rotor blades that breathe new life into legacy aircraft.
At Van Horn Aviation, we design, certify, and manufacture composite rotor blades that improve the fiscal and physical performance of various legacy helicopters. We strive to give aircraft owners and pilots an overall better experience when flying their VHA blades compared to the OEM metal blades.
VHA’s composite rotor blades are ruggedly designed with service lives at least twice as long as the OEM blades. Since VHA blades only cost a fraction more than the OEM blades, direct operating costs are reduced by 50 to 80 percent when using VHA blades over their full life. VHA blades also provide various performance improvements (depending on the blade), from reducing noise and pedal fatigue to increasing lift and speed.
Get to Know Us
company overview
Van Horn Aviation, L.L.C. (VHA) is a privately-owned small business of fewer than 50 employees with corporate offices and production facilities located in Tempe, Arizona. Incorporated in 2001 by founder and CEO Jim Van Horn, VHA specializes in the design, testing, certification, and manufacture of composite rotor blades for various helicopters.
A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, Jim served as the chief engineer for McDonnell Douglas on its MD500 line in the 1980’s and was a primary design engineer on the revolutionary NOTAR rotor-less tail system. In the 1990’s he was a founding partner in MD Helicopter blade supplier Helicopter Technology Company (HTC). Upon leaving HTC in 2001, Jim founded VHA to improve the performance of various helicopter rotor blade systems through superior design, engineering, and manufacturing processes.
Today VHA manufactures composite main rotor blades for the 206B JetRanger and 206L LongRanger, and tail rotor blades for the 206/OH-58, AS350 and UH-1 Huey series of aircraft.
Our tail rotor blades feature efficient cambered airfoil designs that use less engine power to produce more tail rotor authority, reducing the pilot’s workload while providing greater control. On the 206L, we’ve also increased the lifting capability of the aircraft and published new Flight Manual Supplement (FMS) charts. Using similar laminar flow airfoils on our main rotor blades provides increased speed and more responsiveness. With lower operating costs, greater tail rotor authority and increased performance, our composite blades provide a “win-win” situation for both the operator and the pilot. All products are FAA STC/PMA certified.
VHA engineers are also working on new main and tail rotor blade designs for other helicopters. For more information on upcoming projects, visit our In Development page for status and updates.
Contact us to elevate your operations!
