Out of interest TOT why is my comment on the heat and the proximity to the sea rubbish?
My reference was in respect of the NTSB's suggestion that this was a set of conditions that was likely to lead to more early life blade failures and the fact that we are ..um.. near the sea and in 40 degree heat
I am sure that what you are saying is quite true, but if a factory agent said that is why you have a problem with debonding then I say, he is talking rubbish.
If NTSB is saying that then it confirms what many of us already know. That is that many of their operatives would be out of place in a wheelbarrow repair station, let alone a modern helicopter's textbook.
Regularly helicopters in this neck of the woods during November sit in the bright sunshine all day at up to 50 degrees C free air temp, crank up and fly away with no problems.
If NTSB think that Robinson didn't take those temps into consideration when they were designing blades then they're not on this planet. Plenty of places in America where R44's might be operating where those temps would look like a walk in the park i guess.
I would think that there was a factory problem if you are operating at a cool forty degrees and the blades are debonding and there are no extraneous circumstances.
Salt air? forget about that, the blades are supposed to be sealed up with paint are they not, heavy gravelly dust or sand would be extremely more abrasive than a bit of salt. I guess with your ownership structure that the blades were regularly washed anyway.
I deliberately threw a line about the power tool to see if you may have had a underlying problem that you needed to take care of. No harm meant.
There have been some (R44 blades I mean) not far from here that were returned, I don't know how many were replaced FOC, however they first indicated the problem with an out of track problem that could not be rectified. I believe tha the tap tests were a bit inconclusive on some.
As Jim Ball says cover you claim with a stat dec if necessary, and certainly a defect report correctly set out and all signed up before they are packed off to the factory. Make sure that you separate the engineer who does the defect from the engineer who may represent Robinson.
A bit like selling cattle, work out first who is working for you the vendor and not the buyer.
all the best
tet