1510 W. Drake Drive, Tempe, Arizona USA 85283
Fly Before You Buy Program
Van Horn Aviation composite rotor blades are different by design than OEM metal blades. They may require slightly different installation, track and balance procedures. Different physical and aerodynamic characteristics result in more responsive flight characteristics that may require slight adjustments to a pilot’s normal flight procedures.
These differences are not major, but can be disconcerting for some engineers/technicians and pilots who use OEM procedures and flying habits with VHA blades. That’s why VHA has introduced a “Fly Before You Buy” demo program. This program allows prospective buyers to fly a demo ship outfitted with VHA main and tail rotor blades at our Arizona location. You and your pilot can fly the demo ship in the same flight scenarios as your typical missions. You can feel the increased responsiveness of our blades and ask any questions of our pilots, engineers and crew.
The program features our 206B Version 2 main rotor blades and 206 Series tail rotor blades with the Kamatics bearings.
Demo Availability
— 206B Main Rotor Blades
— 206 Series Tail Rotor Blades
(Not available for 206L main rotor blades or UH-1 Huey tail rotor blades)
Program Details
— Tour of VHA manufacturing facility in Tempe, Arizona USA
— Flight at VHA flight test facility at Falcon Field (KFFZ) in Mesa, Arizona
— Access to VHA pilots, engineers and technicians to provide briefings and answer questions
— Up to 2 hours of flight time (Pilots must have current rotorcraft pilot license with minimum 250 hours plus 10 hours in type to take controls)
— No cost to qualified prospective buyers
— Program attendees responsible for their own transportation, hotel and meals
For More Information or to Register
Please fill out the contact form below. We will contact you within two business days.
More than 2 years from now
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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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