From Tori Throop Test Pilot for RR Conner Helicopters
I have flown several thousand hours in a combination of different models of UH-1's, 205's and 210's - with composite Main Rotor (MR) glass blades and metal blades, both new and used
I recently did a maintenance test flight on a UH-1B with new HTC metal MR blades. The track and balance was under .1 ips within 3 flights. This is testament to HTC MR blades because other main rotor vibration analysis have taken anywhere from 9 upward starts to get the track and balance even tolerable, much less this smooth. - with the same mechanics/track and balance equipment and same models of Huey's, so the only variable is the blades.
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The last T&B flight, the mechanic and I were commenting on how impressively smooth this is - I believe it's the smoothest I've flown for the last 4 years.
At the end of the flight I asked what kind of blades they were and the owner said HTC, and that he's “never going back to any other kind of blade”. This saves money in infinite number of ways from not reducing Direct Operating Costs (DOC) wearing out components as fast, down to the reducing pilot fatigue/expense of a pilot and the expense of numerous starts to track the "other" blades.
The chief pilot of this company also stated he told the owner he doesn't want any other kind of blade from now on, that they come into track and balance faster and stay smooth the duration of their life so far.
HTC blades can run with UH1H blades intermixed which is also beneficial.
Matt Biloff Northern Pioneer Helicopters
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In the summer of 2015 we received a set of Helicopter Technology Company's (HTC) UH-1 Main Rotor Blades. This set was the first set of Huey blades that HTC had built. We installed them at the end of July 2015, on our UH-1 Super B, and operated them for 328 hours in some of the worst weather Alaska has to offer. Gary Burdorf checked in frequently to see how his blades were holding up and to see how many hours we had put on them. With a considerable amount of operation in the rain and snow, we did have an issue with some of the paint and filler pealing on the blades. Gary was most interested and requested pictures and measurements. In November we pulled the blades off the helicopter and Gary covered all the costs to have the blades returned to the HTC where they sanded them down and refinished them, then Gary returned the blades to serve the remainder of there 2600 HR time life. When we received them back at the start of the 2016 season they looked like brand new. We now have over 600 hours on this set of blades with no issues at all. I hate being the guinea pig on anything new but with costumer service like this you can't go wrong.
Would I recommend these blades to other operators absolutely, and I have.
Matt Biloff
Director of Maintenance
Northern Pioneer Helicopters
The blades very easy to balance because they are so well matched.
After installation, we set the tabs at zero and we were under 0.1 IPS right out of the shop. I flew it back to WA and was impressed at how smooth they were.
Ron Cline
Central Valley Helicopters
891 Prater Rd, Ellensburg, WA 98926
(509) 856-8353