Tech Brief from 2023 Heli-Expo

Van Horn Aviation personnel presented a Manufacturer’s Tech Brief on installation and repair procedures of composite rotor blades at HAI Heli-Expo 2023 on Tuesday, March 7 at 2 pm. Approximately 30 technicians and other company representatives attended the tech brief.

A copy of the VHA tech brief presentation can be downloaded here.

VHA Operations Manager Austin Schneider began the presentation with a brief company overview and introduced the presenters.

Terry Tyner, chief inspector of VHA's repair station, discussed various inspection and repair topics including:

• Damage tolerances on composite materials
• How to remove trim tabs in accordance with Service Bulletin SB33000-3R3
• Published VHA service bulletin and ICA updates

VHA engineer Dan Belber explained best practices for installing main and tail rotor blades including:

• Recommendations for best chance of smooth track and balance procedure
• Tracking wedge installation and removal
• Polar charts for both tracking wedges and trim tabs
• Hub Alignment using String Method

The VHA session was approved for IA renewal credit. VHA customers are encouraged to email suggested topics for next year’s tech brief.