Van Horn Aviation | Composite Rotor Blades

Spotlight on Agricultural Air Services

At its home in sunny South Florida, family-owned Agricultural Air Services has been operating with cutting-edge service for over 25 years.

Founders Brian and Robin Parker believe the Agricultural Air Services’ team is important to their business success and working together reinforces their belief that “Family is the foundation of everything.” Brian and Robin co-own Agricultural Air Services with their son Hunter, who earned his pilot’s license at age 17 and has accumulated 10,000 hours over the past 11 years working for the company.

Operating in 17 states across the U.S., Agricultural Air Services strives to exceed customer expectations with each job. The core of the company is aerial application including forestry application, row crop and mosquito control services. They also accommodate customers who need assistance with survey work, farms, and wildlife, and specialize in the unique service of alligator egg harvesting.

Agricultural Air Services has a fleet of 206B JetRanger and 206L LongRanger helicopters. They equipped one of their LongRangers with Van Horn Aviation main rotor blades in August of 2019 and have flown 200 hours since the main blades were installed. Pilots Hunter Parker and Joevan Chason noticed the difference from the first flight.

“The performance is night and day compared to the metal blades,” said Hunter. “The aircraft is more responsive with the Van Horn blades installed. What I mean by that is when you pull on the collective, the lift from the blades is right there. With the old metal blades there was a little lag which you could feel with a fully loaded LongRanger.”

The Agricultural Air Services Team is pleased with the performance of the first set of VHA 206L main rotor blades and just installed their second set.

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AD Compliance Reminder for Certain 206L MRB Operators

By Kim VHA • April 25, 2025

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.