Van Horn Aviation (Booth C6054), which has produced more than 4,000 rotor blades for Bell light and medium helicopters over the past 10 years, is rolling out several new products and product enhancements. The Tempe, Arizona-based company recently introduced a new, plug-in replacement bearing design to facilitate easier installation of its Bell 206 tail rotor blade, as well as an updated variant of its UH-1H tail rotor blade with modified doublers to combat a nuisance paint-cracking issue.
"These aren't flashy 'wow' widgets, but rather examples of our customer-centric emphasis," Van Horn president Dean Rosenlof told AIN. "We saw a need for changes and made the necessary corrections."
That said, Van Horn continues to develop new products in the segment. After nearly two years of work, Van Horn resumed flight testing earlier this year of its prototype main rotor blades for the Bell 206L LongRanger.
Similar in design to Van Horn’s existing line of composite blades for the 206B but with an additional 22 inches in length, the new 206L blades include fiberglass root and tip blocks, a foam core and carbon fiber spar and skin, and stainless steel/nickel abrasion strips. They will feature a 20,000-hour component life with 5,000-hour overhaul intervals, at a target price of $95,000.
"We've gone through one complete mission [in testing] and it's flying incredibly well, with similar properties to metal blades," Rosenlof said. The company anticipates certification shortly, with deliveries beginning in the third quarter. Bell’s Aeronautical Accessories subsidiary will be the exclusive distributor.
Noting that company projections show potential for additional applications in the legacy light/medium helicopter segment, Rosenlof emphasized a cautious approach to future growth and expressed pride in what Van Horn has accomplished with just 30 employees at its Tempe facility. "That number includes production and flight testing, and certification testing," he added. "It's rather amazing how much we can do as a micro-company. Truth is, we have enough work satisfying our current growth plans, and we don't want to diminish our capability to serve our customers."
While Heli-Exop 2018 provides companies with a powerful venue to showcase new products, Van Horn views the show primarily as an important opportunity to meet with its existing customer base. "We're here to give customer support for our rotor blades in the field," Rosenlof said. "Our customers known we're here for them."