what part does not look up to the job
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Behind a dusty desk, and in some really hot, dusty, wet and cold places subject to who is paying the bill. But mostly Gods own land.
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...well I hate the expanding bolt on the tail rotor bell crank of the AS350/355's... anything that falls apart in your hand when you take it out cannot be good!
Seem to think that expanding bolts are used to hold Hughes 500 blades on.
There has been at least one other H300 fatal in the UK due to loss of the tail rotor although it didnt penetrate the cabin, in fact it was never found.
I saw another 300 where the bolt was worn 50% through and the out of balance vibration had elongated all the TRBG flange mounting bolt holes to about twice their normal size.
The gearbox and flange had almost detached from the boom. The only way to remove the tail rotor was to cut the bolt out as it was so badly stepped.
Same system on the older 500's but I 've never seen a similar problem.
The original bolt was a cadmium plated steel bolt later replaced by a special bolt. I do not know if there have been further problems sice the modified bolt was introduced.
Reminds me of a story involving a friend of mine fitting a main rotor to a 205 in a field camp.
One of the oilrig guys was taking a lot of interest in the task. On discovering that only the "jesus" nut retained the whole system he offered to run a few beads of weld around the nut to beef it up a bit!!!!!!!!!! Clearly its not only pilots and engineers who sometimes wince a bit at the aircraft designers offerings.
There has been at least one other H300 fatal in the UK due to loss of the tail rotor although it didnt penetrate the cabin, in fact it was never found.
I saw another 300 where the bolt was worn 50% through and the out of balance vibration had elongated all the TRBG flange mounting bolt holes to about twice their normal size.
The gearbox and flange had almost detached from the boom. The only way to remove the tail rotor was to cut the bolt out as it was so badly stepped.
Same system on the older 500's but I 've never seen a similar problem.
The original bolt was a cadmium plated steel bolt later replaced by a special bolt. I do not know if there have been further problems sice the modified bolt was introduced.
Reminds me of a story involving a friend of mine fitting a main rotor to a 205 in a field camp.
One of the oilrig guys was taking a lot of interest in the task. On discovering that only the "jesus" nut retained the whole system he offered to run a few beads of weld around the nut to beef it up a bit!!!!!!!!!! Clearly its not only pilots and engineers who sometimes wince a bit at the aircraft designers offerings.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: The land of the cranberry
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MR blades departing on their own accord is definitely a worrying thought. As one of my ground instructors once said, "At that stage you'd have to fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the rest of your ride!"
Hadn't heard the stories about the 300's tail rotors before, scary stuff. I'll certainly be giving it an extra careful look tomorrow..............
Hadn't heard the stories about the 300's tail rotors before, scary stuff. I'll certainly be giving it an extra careful look tomorrow..............
Not sure if you would have time to even think. A military 212 was reported to have exploded in flight by aircraft flying with it (Philipines?). Turned out that it shed a main blade.
For a while we had several CH-47A's that experienced a main rotor blade rotating 90 degrees in the cuff with an immediate disintegration of the aircraft.
I do not care to think what that ride would be like.....except hopefully the G forces of the aircraft coming apart would render you unconscious and you could then go in your sleep.
Not much use in cinching up the old seatbelt in that situation as there would not be anything to cinch to.
I used to have a nightmare where I found myself strapped in the seat...cyclic and collective in hand....and nothing else around but the clear blue sky.
Reckon it was the Anchovie Pizza's?
I do not care to think what that ride would be like.....except hopefully the G forces of the aircraft coming apart would render you unconscious and you could then go in your sleep.
Not much use in cinching up the old seatbelt in that situation as there would not be anything to cinch to.
I used to have a nightmare where I found myself strapped in the seat...cyclic and collective in hand....and nothing else around but the clear blue sky.
Reckon it was the Anchovie Pizza's?
