To: helmet fire
How similar are the ST & B models? - I guess Lu will know this one. Same trannie, blades, tail etc, or are they significantly different Lu?
I never had any experience on the ST or other later models. I spent one solid month monitoring the maintenance on both the 214 and the AH-1J. After that I returned to the home office and managed the maintenance on all of the helicopters in the IIA Aviation program. I remained on the program for about another year and the MMH/FH never improved. (On either aircraft).
Note: If you ever want to question why you fly helicopters there is a small inspection panel on the 214 rear cabin wall that allows you to see the transmission. Observe the trannie in flight. The trannie will be jumping up and down (2" or so). This provides the smooth ride on the 214 but it is beating the hell out of the dynamic system.
Based on my experience on the job I found that on even the latest designs (Bell) they used parts from other designs. If the part on the original design had certain faults those same parts would exhibit the same faults on the new application. So I can only assume from that the 214 parts that were used on the 214-ST and the B models had the same problems. The worst of which was the magnetization of the mast. If you fly any Bell product with either an elastomeric teeter bearing or a soft in-plane rotor system have your LAME/A&P use a gaussimiter to check the level of magnetization on the mast. Hold the instrument near the Jesus Nut. Then, check the overhaul manual for the level of magnetization that is acceptable after a part has passed through a Magna Flux ™ machine.
