R22 Corner
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Australia
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Helocfi,
The R22 Maintenance manual does not recommend the trailering of their helicopters due to the reasons Lu suggested. If we have to transport one, we remove the tailboom and blades and put them in a proper boom/blade crate and ballast the trailer to bring it inside the spring's working range.
This is obviously of no practical sense to you unless you have a LAME nearby every where you go.
I guess the best advice is to just fly to the fly ins and stay at a nearby pub
The R22 Maintenance manual does not recommend the trailering of their helicopters due to the reasons Lu suggested. If we have to transport one, we remove the tailboom and blades and put them in a proper boom/blade crate and ballast the trailer to bring it inside the spring's working range.
This is obviously of no practical sense to you unless you have a LAME nearby every where you go.
I guess the best advice is to just fly to the fly ins and stay at a nearby pub
One extra thing for your trailer is a support cradle for the tailboom, or else the flexing will damage the attachment bolts.
And how long is the trailer going to be, considering the length of the blade out the front?? Add that to your motor home and you have a convoy...
And how long is the trailer going to be, considering the length of the blade out the front?? Add that to your motor home and you have a convoy...
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Robinson evidently does not approve of trailering.
I have seen a very nice, albeit homemade, set up. Salient points of this were-
don't lash the skids down - they have to be able to flex slightly.
Make a cradle to hold the tailboom in a sling - top of the sling holds the rear blade up. The sling needs to be a cloth / fabric sling that is quite wide to spread the load on the tailboom.
Another cradle to hold the front blade. Neither of the blade cradles lift the blade above the normal drooped position (avoiding the dreaded 'do not push up' issue).
Lots of covers for blades and windshield.
The machine concerned had been driven and flown quite a bit without any seeming ill-effects.
Who knows, with proper use of Photoshop to de-identify the source, the owner may wish to put a photo of same on-line....
(hint, hint)
I have seen a very nice, albeit homemade, set up. Salient points of this were-
don't lash the skids down - they have to be able to flex slightly.
Make a cradle to hold the tailboom in a sling - top of the sling holds the rear blade up. The sling needs to be a cloth / fabric sling that is quite wide to spread the load on the tailboom.
Another cradle to hold the front blade. Neither of the blade cradles lift the blade above the normal drooped position (avoiding the dreaded 'do not push up' issue).
Lots of covers for blades and windshield.
The machine concerned had been driven and flown quite a bit without any seeming ill-effects.
Who knows, with proper use of Photoshop to de-identify the source, the owner may wish to put a photo of same on-line....
(hint, hint)
Gatvol
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Why not just fly it. let the wife drive the motorhome. When she parks for the night just land on top..
or buy a new AS-350B2, B206L4 or a B407 and sell the motorhome.
or buy a new AS-350B2, B206L4 or a B407 and sell the motorhome.
Avoid imitations
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Personally, I think that trailering an R-22 is a very good idea. 
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Trailering an R22
A friend of mine has a 22 trailer parked in Florida (not for sale). It is a fully enclosed job with boom and blade supports mounted in the roof. The most convenient thing is the hydraulic tail lift that gets the machine up to the trailer floor height. It may have been converted from a commercially available trailer, but it looks very professional.
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Go to www.civichelicopters.com and click on their photo gallery. On page two you will see a picture of a motorhome trailering an R22.
Join Date: Jul 2003
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R22 blade loss...again
Rumour has it that two recent incidents have resulted in the loss of main rotor blades on Robinson R22 helicopters.
In Israel an R22 apparently threw a blade at the first bolt attach point and is looking like a corrosion problem. As in Sydney
The second has the blade coming off at the flapping bolt.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating and have contacted the ATSB in Australia.
At the moment there is no further information but it has come from two sources.
Let's hope this is not, if true, going to lead to a further shortening of blade life.
There is no information as yet as to the fate of the crew involved.
In Israel an R22 apparently threw a blade at the first bolt attach point and is looking like a corrosion problem. As in Sydney
The second has the blade coming off at the flapping bolt.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating and have contacted the ATSB in Australia.
At the moment there is no further information but it has come from two sources.
Let's hope this is not, if true, going to lead to a further shortening of blade life.
There is no information as yet as to the fate of the crew involved.
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The ATSB in Australia has issued amendment 9 on R22 blades, effective on the 24th of the month.
The site refuses to log on at the moment so it an unknown.
10 year life??? track and balance straight away, if vibration is excessive, grounded???
Placard in a/c for vibration???
You can try through the CASA site.
The site refuses to log on at the moment so it an unknown.
10 year life??? track and balance straight away, if vibration is excessive, grounded???
Placard in a/c for vibration???
You can try through the CASA site.
Last edited by deeper; 19th Mar 2004 at 05:09.
Join Date: Mar 2002
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Craig Cook
The short answer is no.
Don't get the terms and the models mixed up.
There was a case of an R44 set of blades ( both blades) delaminated out near the tips while in flight. Unrelated to the R22 question and (as far as I am aware unresolved or explained as to what happened there)
The R22 blades have not involved delamination but rather blades breaking apart in flight. (Now keep it in perspective - we are talking three blades in three years in Oz over perhaps hundreds of thousands of flying hours (and in blades of suspect hours in use)
The events has involved cracks appearing in the aluminium alloy blade root at the positon of the first internal bolt hole where the leading edge D Spar bolts onto the alloy hub. The cracks propagated into complete separation.
In some other blades (looked at by the ATSB as comparisons)which had not crashed or parted there has been evidence of the bonding material (glue with mesh stuff in it) which holds the skin on having given way near the bolt hole. In effect delamination or maybe voids from manufacture?? (my speculation there)
The assumption is that in the crashed helicopters this may have occurred and allowed perhaps water to enter, track into the bolt hole and corrode a spot. Then over time it has gone further to a crack and finally seperation.
So the problems have been different and apparently unrelated.
The short answer is no.
Don't get the terms and the models mixed up.
There was a case of an R44 set of blades ( both blades) delaminated out near the tips while in flight. Unrelated to the R22 question and (as far as I am aware unresolved or explained as to what happened there)
The R22 blades have not involved delamination but rather blades breaking apart in flight. (Now keep it in perspective - we are talking three blades in three years in Oz over perhaps hundreds of thousands of flying hours (and in blades of suspect hours in use)
The events has involved cracks appearing in the aluminium alloy blade root at the positon of the first internal bolt hole where the leading edge D Spar bolts onto the alloy hub. The cracks propagated into complete separation.
In some other blades (looked at by the ATSB as comparisons)which had not crashed or parted there has been evidence of the bonding material (glue with mesh stuff in it) which holds the skin on having given way near the bolt hole. In effect delamination or maybe voids from manufacture?? (my speculation there)
The assumption is that in the crashed helicopters this may have occurred and allowed perhaps water to enter, track into the bolt hole and corrode a spot. Then over time it has gone further to a crack and finally seperation.
So the problems have been different and apparently unrelated.
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FAA EAD for R22's...
Yesterday, the FAA issued a new Emergency Airworthiness Directive for the Robinson Helicopter Company Model R22, R22 Alpha, R22 Beta, and R22 Mariner Helicopters...
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...D?OpenDocument
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...D?OpenDocument
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R22 Rush Emergency AD/SB???
I heard a whisper today that there has been an emergency AD/SB on R22 blades.
Apparently they are starting to find that some of the blades that are fitted and are over 10 years old are starting to crack.
I believe that the inspection is to be done within the next 10 flying hours, and the life of the blades will be decreased from the extended 12 year life back down to the orginial ten.
Can anyone shed any light on whether any of this information is true????
Cheers guys
Apparently they are starting to find that some of the blades that are fitted and are over 10 years old are starting to crack.
I believe that the inspection is to be done within the next 10 flying hours, and the life of the blades will be decreased from the extended 12 year life back down to the orginial ten.
Can anyone shed any light on whether any of this information is true????
Cheers guys
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Here is the link to the states emergency AD establishing the 10 year life for R-22 Main Rotor Blades...
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...D?OpenDocument
http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...D?OpenDocument
Join Date: Jul 2003
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found this somewhere,
lucky pilot.
The Robinson factory is testing the new stainless blades for the R22.
Testing is nearing completion, it will be interesting to see if they are heavier, this could enhance the auto characteristics. That would be nice.
lucky pilot.
The Robinson factory is testing the new stainless blades for the R22.
Testing is nearing completion, it will be interesting to see if they are heavier, this could enhance the auto characteristics. That would be nice.
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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Although I would personally enjoy enhanced auto characteristics, wouldn't putting heavier blades on the R22 change a whole bunch of other dynamics as well?.
I would have guessed that the tail rotor wouldn't be quite as effective (my reasoning only) the heavier MR would require more torque to turn, thus requiring more tail rotor to compensate.
also, I reckon it would increase the incedence of "Bogging" the MR whilst operating on the slow side of the RRPM.
I would also think the MR gearbox and clutch would be doing a whole bunch more work. Would this require more testing on the gearbox and clutch? or are they over engineered enough to cope with the extra load?. would this extra load on componants, shorten their TBO?
I would think that there is more to it than just whacking on a set of heavier blades............ but then I'm just a pilot, so what would I know?.
I would have guessed that the tail rotor wouldn't be quite as effective (my reasoning only) the heavier MR would require more torque to turn, thus requiring more tail rotor to compensate.
also, I reckon it would increase the incedence of "Bogging" the MR whilst operating on the slow side of the RRPM.
I would also think the MR gearbox and clutch would be doing a whole bunch more work. Would this require more testing on the gearbox and clutch? or are they over engineered enough to cope with the extra load?. would this extra load on componants, shorten their TBO?
I would think that there is more to it than just whacking on a set of heavier blades............ but then I'm just a pilot, so what would I know?.
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i don't know if know if heavy weight blades on the robbie would work.
i think the old buick diff can handle it though, maybe a couple more horsepower required.
the turbo'd 47 had heavy weight blades and we tried them on a normally aspirated model then went back to the light blades,
the heavy ones were a bit harder to handle and not worth the drama.
i think the old buick diff can handle it though, maybe a couple more horsepower required.
the turbo'd 47 had heavy weight blades and we tried them on a normally aspirated model then went back to the light blades,
the heavy ones were a bit harder to handle and not worth the drama.