TRC,
I'm thinking:
Swashplate bearings
M/R feathering, teetering, flap and drag bearings
T/R bearings
Rod end bearings
Etc.
And yet these components are operating in various types of sand and salt all the time, allthough sometimes with shorter component-life, (ie. you change them when they have reached the tolerance limit, instead of acc. hours/years in service) But this happens all the time regardless operations.
TT-straps, elastomeric dampeners, seals etc. etc. etc. list is long.
Reasons for focusing on blades and engine for me, is due to the fact, that if those parts suddenly break, things are more serious than if your pitch-links develop more than the tolerance of play. I really would like to see the pitch change bearings, that fails catastrophically from in good conditions at preflight, in the +-3,5 hours normal endurance that most helicopters have on a full bag of gas without NO other indications of problems! Wind-screens are not really an issue as I normally not fly above 140kts. I usually avoid things coming my way that I don't want to bump into as well, ie; clouds, trees, mountains, towers, etc.
Aircrafts just don't fall out of the sky, without some indications first (if we exclude "certain" helicopters suffering MGB-zeisures, Turbine-runaways, bladeflinging and other mechanical failures etc.) for the ones that do think that. Even the famous BA 747 didn't crash, after it's encounter with the ash.
Do, anyone know of any accidents fatal or not
caused by ash at all? I am seriously interessted. Can't google anything besides of how to avoid it (lots of info) but no accident report. (only the known incidents)
I would like to compare that to the amount of accident which is caused by lets see...... weather (windshear, microbursts, rain, snow, Frezzing fog/rain, CB's on final.... eh, in fact ALL weather-related accidents)
Torquestripe,
Maybe someone in the "system" want to get rid of the rich people with biz-jets and save the A4-family form extinction....
(must be a good one for the conspiracy-teorists)
The decision of the Dutch CAA, is not really surprizing as they told media (pretty much the same story with the Germans) just after the KLM test, that they were not interessted in the findings, and rather rely on computor models!
A tad arrogant or just another CYA situation or maybe both?