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Old 19th Jul 2020, 21:08
  #12 (permalink)  
Two's in
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 1,874
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After any blade strike, if you aren't thinking about:

Blade damage and subsequent breakup.
Out of balance forces.
Vibration and tracking issues.
Shock loading of gearbox and transmission components.
Misaligned flexible couplings

...you probably aren't thinking much at all. An inquiry some years ago into a critical casevac following a blade strike (blade struck the casualty before he was a casualty! - let's hear it for Kevlar walking caps) was wholly positive about the fast reactions and response time of the crew, but some what churlishly pointed out that if the blade had come apart in flight on the way to the hospital, it would have been a more disappointing outcome for everyone.

Steel blade tips on metal blades with chalkboard tracking worked in the day, but with composite blades and complex load paths, every blade strike is a potential disaster unless a qualified person checks it out.
Two's in is offline