Buyer beware on Bell's offering of 206B Version 1 Main Rotor Blades

Bell's aftermarket parts distributor Aeronautical Accessories recently launched a campaign to dump several sets of VHA 206B Version 1 main rotor blades (P/N 20631000-101) that have been sitting in their warehouse since about 2018. These Version 1 blades still feature trim tabs (as opposed to our new tracking wedges) and stainless steel abrasion strips that can be prone to cracking. As our first certificated composite main rotor blades, the 206B Version 1 MRB's were also known to be a little stiffer than the Version 2 blades.

While VHA stands behind our 206B Version 1 MRBs, which are excellent blades being flown around the world in various applications, we emphasize to prospective buyers that the Aeronautical Accessories blades are now past the warranty date of "three years from date of manufacture." We will not be changing out trim tabs and abrasion strips from these blades under warranty, but will support these operations at normal repair costs through our Van Horn Repair repair station.

VHA's 206B Version 2 main rotor blades available through our distributors feature tracking wedges for more precise track and balance, Inconel main abrasion strips to reduce cracking, re-engineered carbon fiber ply counts and orientation for a smoother ride, and reduced maintenance actions and costs due to removing the 4,800-hour grip replacement requirement. VHA also recently announced that we will hold 2024 pricing on all of our rotor blades -- including the 206B Version 2 MRBs -- through 2025.