BO 105 - Good, Bad or just Ugly?

[nodrama]

In my experience, the breakdown of the caulking tends to manifest itself as a lead-lag (drag) problem.
Signs of a whitish powder appears where the blade enters the metal cuff and a Chadwick 8500 will show the lead-lag range when it prints the RTB solutions.

[Daddylynx]

Hi Nodrama

Thank you for that - not sure if we have the Chadwick 8500 here but I will ask the techies in the morning. Is this something that you can fly with for any period? Or should you ground the aircraft. ( was I flying an aircraft that I should not have been?????!!!!)

[nodrama]

The assessment and solution to any problem with your aircraft is down to your engineers and their call...

The lead-lag limit (if that is the problem) is 20mm....it's in the maintenance manual.

[Earl of Rochester]

One of several 105's which served with the Royal Bahrain Air Force

[nodrama]

Manoeuvre at 2 min 30 secs...... WTF!!

[skadi]

Another nice video from 1986, shows the programm for the championship in Great Britain June 86.

Pilot probably R.Wilke, now flying the Red Bull BO 105




skadi

[Daddylynx]

Bolkow Performance

Hi there

I am looking for some advice on Operating the Bolkow in Cat A or nearly VTOL landing sites. The Flight Manual talks a lot about Cat B Ops, however we fly to over 100 different sites of which only a small handful could be described as Cat B (being airfields), the rest are small remote villages in the jungle/hillside (or both) and often involve 'a military style confined area approach and departure). The Book does mention this and also talks of retrofit kit which we dont have on our machines but I cant see how this might help anyway. I am looking to restrict our MTOW for these sites as per the performance graphs in the supplemement section which talks about CAT A and VTOL. But is there any other better rule of thumb for this. Not only are the areas restricted but as we are equatorial it is also very hot and humid. We are trying to preserve the more expensive components. Would be most grateful for any advice on this. I have a few thousand hours mostly maritime Lynx but so far still less than 100 on this beast.

Question 2.

When conducting an engine trend check it says both engines are operating but you test each engine in turn. I presume you split the Tqs a little (5%??) and do it that way. Yes or No?

Question 3

There may be an opening for one or two Bolkow 105 pilots here. Pay is not pop stars stuff but I think Ok. Flying is fantastic (I think) as is the expat life. Pilots would need to be rated on the 105 with a organisation the Malaysia recognises. Would need to sit Malaysian Air Law in the first instance but that is easily done and would then fly on a Validation for 6 months and then hopefully get a Malaysian CPL. The Job is EMS day VFR only. Anyone interested please reply to me here in the first instance. This is just really putting out a feeler.

[Geoffersincornwall]

Daddylynx

Which model 105 are you operating? Which engines are fitted?

The C20B equipped model would be hard-pushed to deliver Cat A in Europe let alone the tropics.

Check-out the HOGE graphs - they will give you a good idea of how well the machine will cope going into confined areas.

From memory the trend check requires the non-checked engine to be at idle but it's been a while ..... cripes! 23 years! .....where does the time go .......... since I had the pleasure of flying the 105 so maybe my memory not that good.

Good luck

G

[Saint Jack]

Daddylynx

To the best of my knowledge the BO-105 never had a published Cat 'A' performance. In fact, way back when the type was introduced in to the UK wasn't the single engine performance so bad that the UKCAA required a fuel dump system to ensure an adequate single engine performance, these modified helicopters were designated BO-105D.

A few years ago I was involved with a BO-105LS operation that ultimately failed because the operator couldn't satisify the clients Cat 'A' performance requirement. Yes, the BO-105LS has bags of power, but we wanted a manufacturers published Cat 'A' performance supplement that simply wasn't available.

I'm therefore surprised, Daddylynk, to learn you have a "supplemement section which talks about CAT A and VTOL" could you give further details.

[Daddylynx]

Thank you all for some very interesting perspectives. We operate 2 x CBS4 and 2 x CBS5 with Allinson 250-C20B engines. A lot of the landing sites are only a small soccer field in a jungle clearing with 200' trees all around. Getting in is ok - its the next bit that can be exciting!!! And some are by the river so that you can come in and out from the river using a reasonably sensible approach/departure profile. I am going to recommend we limit the MTOW for some, but as suggested the guys must check the HOGE figures. Certainly operating at 2500kg would not work.

We just replaced a turbine on one over the weekend post labyrinth seal change and tested it today - seemed to run a little hot and when I shut down it smoked - again. Next check hover had the engine at 800 TOT in the hover and final hover check was 810 TOT - Told the boys to forget the Labyrinth seals for now and have a look at the compressor blades - I dont think it would cope with another start without surging! Has a similar problem on a Lynx HAS Mk 3 several years ago. When the engine bay opened it up the axial flow compressor turbines looked really ugly!

Anyway it will the the Filipino engineers from the overhaul facility here a bit longer.

But thank you all for your help and advice - really appreciate it. Hope we dont get a Medivac tomorrow as not really happy to fly this particular machine at the moment!

[Daddylynx]

The Supplement section is in Supplement section 11 (11.4 - Special Take off and landing operations). It has a very an identical set of limitations to the Limitations section at the beginning but the performance graphs are more restrictive for MTOW and typically give about 2100kg at sea level ISA day. The retrofit kit s a fire extinguishing system (I think) and mentions a ram air ventilation system. I can E Mail you the relevant bit if you want.

[nodrama]

CB(S)/ DB(S) with C20's

Engine trend checking:

Split tq's to get testing engine doing the work, turn s/genny off and pull 86% tq.

Engine power assurance check:

IAS 60 kts, retard other engine to grd idle. Turn s/genny of test engine off, pull 95% tq (or 810 TOT), keep Nr 100%.

[GunKow]

We are looking at purchasing a BO105 CBS-4. Can anyone give me an idea of what I should expect to pay for a replacement set of MRBs?

And if you have any advice of the big 'gotchas' (ie. corrosion, etc) to look out for that would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance.

GunKow

[rotorbuzz]

BO105 Longlining

Can someone please tell me what long lining in the 105 is like.Particulary vision,door on ops,door off ops,any tips for a newbie on a 105 doing long lining.

Thanks in advance

[griffothefog]

At a guess, pretty poor. I don't think there is a bubble door mod with TQ gauges etc.. so it would be a blind lean out effort which in itself would be a fairly crap platform with regards to the stick your giving the engines, and I doubt you would see that much unless your built like a giraffe

I did over 9000 lifts with the 105 using mirrors, but long lining is a different game altogether and this forum is the right place to be to gleen more info.. .....Gordy????

GTF.

[kennethr]

bo105

I am not a flyer but an engineer, there is lots of good stuff on this thread from many who fly them, as an engineer it is a good machine , watch out for corossion of the MGB because spare shells are like rocking horse ****, , they are getting old and all spares are becoming scarce , alternative is to fly a squirrel and put lots of money aside for turbomecca to swallow up, Allison engines are old but in the right hands cheap to operate. I once had a bolkow shear the engine plumbing in a major way due to vibration frequency in transational lift , the good news is it landed and the pilot didnt even know, thankfully i think it happened in the last twenty feet
!! old tech but good in the right hands!!

[rotorbuzz]

Lift work grithothefog

Hi,what was the 105 like doing mirror lifts and how long were your lines?
Cheers

[griffothefog]

We used 5-20m strops with a modified convex truck mirror so you could see hook and load. It worked very well, its a great aircraft for precision work in the right hands with the rigid head. Good luck.

GTF.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Helped see the 105 out of NLB service at the end of last year, and I'd just add (to all that Griffo has mentioned) that owing to the position of the pitot tubes on the Bolkow, the mirror(s) have to be mounted on the LHS of the aircraft. When you're used to a/c with a decent mirror fit, this can take some getting used to in confined spaces or over a moving deck. Would love to know the Cooper-Harper score, I'd give it a 4.

[aseanaero]

Does the 105-15170 CBS-5 MRBs have pendulum absorbers or not ?