NEWS | VHA US Van Horn Aviation State of Arizona

Van Horn Bell 206B Composite Blades in Australia

Australia-based Heliwest Services and U.S-based Van Horn Aviation (VHA) recently assisted with the first flight of the Van Horn 206B composite main rotor blades in Australian skies over Melbourne





  • Australia-based Heliwest Services and U.S-based Van Horn Aviation (VHA) recently assisted with the first flight of the Van Horn 206B composite main rotor blades in Australian skies over Melbourne
  • Successful first flight of Van Horn composite 206B Jet Ranger main rotor blades in Australia

Heliwest Services, March 17, 2017 - Representatives from Australia-based Heliwest Services and U.S-based Van Horn Aviation (VHA) recently assisted with the first flight of the Van Horn 206B composite main rotor blades in Australian skies over Melbourne.

Collaboration between Heliwest (a Bell Helicopter Customer Service Facility [CSF]), Bell Helicopter subsidiary Aeronautical Accessories, and VHA, assisted Melbourne-based Australasian Jet complete installation, ground tests, and flights from Essendon Airport.

Heliwest Sales & Customer Service Manager Jason Ellis and VHA President Dean Rosenlof were on hand to support the Australasian Jet engineering team as they installed the new blades. “It was a big day,” said Ellis, “But at the end the customer was very happy with the blades and the on-site support provided by Heliwest Services and VHA.”

Certified by the FAA in February 2016, the VHA 206B JetRanger main rotor blade features carbon fibre skin and spars, an efficient NASA-designed laminar-flow airfoil, tapered tip, and a combination of stainless steel and nickel abrasion strips that cover the entire length of the blade for erosion and lightning strike protection. As the composite blade is more rigid than the original metal blades, the pilots’ initial feedback was that “flying the machine is more responsive with reduced pilot inputs.”

“I’m confident that the main rotor blades will be as well received in the market as the highly successful VHA 206 tail rotor blades,” said Ellis. “I certainly look forward to speaking more with customers about the blades and how they can lower their DOCs (direct operating costs). With VHA expecting FAA certification of the 206L LongRanger main rotor blades by the end of 2017 with a 20,000-hour service life (four times that of the OEM metal blade), it’s certainly an exciting product to engage with the market.”

“We are proud to support Australian helicopter operators,” said Rosenlof. “We recognize that many Australian operators fly in challenging environments and situations. We’re excited about bringing another product to market that will help 206 operators in Australia – and around the world – lower costs and increase performance.”

About Heliwest Services: Based in Perth, Western Australia, Heliwest Services specializes in product support of the Bell 206 series. As a Bell Helicopter CSF, Heliwest offers a wide range of solutions including field maintenance, component overhaul and a range of spare parts solutions. Heliwest personnel also have the ability to access Bell Inventory worldwide.


  See also


VHA US Van Horn Aviation State of Arizona
AU Heliwest
Bell 206
helicopter Helicopters Blades




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