Has Anyone Applied Protective Film to a Helicopter Windshield?

[FLY 7]

What are helicopter windshields made from? Some kind of acrylic, polycarbonate?

I've seen several severely damaged by a bird strike, hail, foreign object.... or just pushed in the wrong place. So, not much protection for occupants?

Now I know that race teams apply protective films, such as clear Armourfend, to windshields to reduce stone damage and provide extra driver protection.

Saw one at the weekend and the cost is apparently less than £100.

Is this viable for a helicopter windshield?

[ironchefflay]

depends on the winscreen, some are heated others arent. which may not be suitable.

possibly could be done especially on the ordinary windows, but the ones likely to be hit are usually the multy layer type with polycarbonate glass sandwich, or some variation on that, and i think some of them have a layer of film between them for this reason.

some are designed to withstand birdstrike already.

[Flyting]

it would have to be approved which means the cost would jump a few 1000

[FLY 7]

This is what concerns me

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Here - 18 helicopters of various makes with broken windshields Hubschrauber nach Hagelschlag - YouTube

And, would it really require approval to put a clear film over a windshield? I've seen it on vulnerable parts of the bodywork to prevent paint damage.

[ericferret]

Any change to an aircraft is a modification and there would be questions over this.

What would the effect of the adhesive be on the polycarbonate, potential for crazing and degradation of strength

Possible problem if it came off in flight and went into the intake or wrapped itself around a tailrotor blade

Damage caused during installation and removal

The heated windscreen effect mentioned above

The effect of windscreen wipers

Possibly sounds a little anal?

Well look into the Agusta 139 maintnance manual, there is now a procedure for removal and installation of the crew torches

Remove, Take mini maglite between two fingers and remove from pocket

Fit, Take mini maglite and place in pocket


Not sure if there is a maintenance procedure for replacing the mag lite batteries maybe the torch is classed as a component and has to be sent back to Agusta for the batteries to be replaced!!!!.

[Brilliant Stuff]

Fly 7

If you ask me, I believe it to be a no brainer to add the film to the windscreen because they advertise them for cars to stop stone chips and I have seen an ad showing how you can't even pierce them with a knife, now would that not improve your safety by a good margin when you consider bird strikes??

On the EC135 only the big windows are designed to be bird proof up to a certain size and yet they have failed but the chin windows are not. So you get a bird through that hitting the pedals or you legs.....

They film won't come after all it's a hugs sticker how is that gonna come off and be an issue?

Since they wrap Ferraris with that stuff and take it off without damaging them I don't think a helicopter will be any different.

Eddie Stobart wrap their trucks for better resale value.

I think this is one of those ideas which is so simple no one has made the connection since aviation has to be complicated and expensive.

I personally would have no issues with it but knowing the CAA it's to simple and has too much common sense and makes your life saver in flight.....

Well that's my take.

As for torches, thank god we were able to ditch the official Eurocopter torch since its big and heavy and not very bright but the led lenses we got now is as big as a marker pen and you could use it as a back up landing light should you need to. They that bright.

[Helinut]

Everyone may well be correct about the value of such a film- I know how useful they can be on road vehicles. However undoubtedly, IMO, the feds would want to see it "installed" under some sort of mod procedure, authorised by an organisation with the necessary modification approval (involving reams of paper and associated costs).

In essence, it boils down to the system not trusting the common sense of a pilot/operator but requiring a more formal review. Sounds very "jobsworth" but the trouble is that the consequences of any "problem" can be dire on an aircraft.

Of course, someone could just do it. It would be fine until a keen fed spots it (not very likely as they usually just look at the paperwork these days), or worse in the event of there being a problem (probably less likely still) the insurance walks away.

[Shawn Coyle]

you need to make sure it's approved for installation on aircraft. I hear there are some tapes used on rotor blades that if you really check their heritage, have no such approval, but are used a lot.

[ericferret]

Operator: The helicopter for the 100 hour is over here.

Engineer: Whats that stuck on the windscreen?

Owner: Its this great stuff they use on racing cars

Eng: Have you got an approval for that?

Op: Err well no but we think it's a great idea.

Eng: I think it's a great idea as well, when you've got an approval for it or taken it off I will come back and certify the aircraft for you.

Have a nice day, Byeeeee !!!!!

[FLY 7]

Shame :bored:

I was thinking of it for use on light helicopters that don't have heated screens or wipers, just a flimsy screen - hence I suppose the argument for helmets and visors.

Anyway, the way it works, is the screen is meticulously cleaned, sprayed with water, the film applied and any air bubbles scrupulously removed. It's a virtually invisible. From what I've seen on cars, the latest materials won't lift, won't discolour, and can be removed.

I would have thought less contentious than blade tapes fitted to critical parts, but maybe a bit more contentious than the vinyl stickers applied to many helicopters. Guess it would be for a manufacturer to get approval - if it's worth their while.

[lowfat]

Its irrelevant what your take on it is.
You maybe the owner but the Buck stops with the Licensed engineer that signs off on your pride and joy.

Come the accident inquiry he is the one that risks loss of licence and or Jail.

This is the joy of EASA.

[Prodad]

I am an engineer for an aerospace transparency manufacturer. One issue not mentioned here that would be a big challenge is achieving satisfactory optics with an applied film. Getting perfect optics with just formed acrylic or polycarbonate is hard enough. Trying to apply a film evenly over a contoured surface would be ridicously hard. Car windshields and many fixed wing aircraft have very simple curvature. Most helicopters have some what spherical shapes. They do not lend them selves to getting something to lay flat on them. Just getting protective film on them for shipping can be tricky so we spray them with peelable latex.

Also, polycarbonate windshields have a silicone based hard coat on them to prevent yellowing, crazing and scratches. It will not accept something you try to stick on it. Some acrylic is coated as well, but not as often.

[Kulwin Park]

@FLY 7 ....

What happened to the helicopter windshields in the above YouTube clip?? Hail Stones or vandals? Man, that would be expensive!!!! :eek:

Also, windshield protective films, or "tear-off's" as they are known in the motorsport race car industry, are basically not approved yet for basically 2 safety reasons:
1- They could become unstuck in the swirling airflow, instantly peel off, and become sucked into the gas turbine engine inlet, causing massive damage, flameout, or even cause an accident. Even the film blocking an oil cooler screen or MGB cooling duct could cause catastrophic failure due overheating.
2- The film could also peel off into the slipstream, and become tangled in the main rotor swashplate, blades, or tail rotor assembly causing binding aircraft movements and maybe even loss of control.

Until a film can be secured by a means of certain attachment, then I don't think any aircraft manufacturer would let a film be fitted onto a window screen of any type! :8

Cheers, KP

[FLY 7]

My enquiry was largely academic, but there's no reason why a ventureshield type application would distort optics or noticeably discolour.

Likewise, why would it come off? In motorsport, visor 'tear offs' are deliberately designed for easy removal, but screen protection is designed to stay on for the life of the screen. Stickers are routinely attached to aircraft fuselages without issues.

Granted some aircraft - mainly business jets - have complex coatings that require extreme caution, even when cleaning.