Story ID: 
First MD500E to MD530F Helicopter Conversion Done
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Upgrade is available at MD Helicopters service centers
Word Count: 215
MD Helicopters-authorized service center Thoroughbred Aviation has completed the first MD500E to MD530F conversion at its Lexington, Kentucky base. The customer is the Cleveland, Ohio police department, and the conversion was the first of two that Thoroughbred is doing for that operator. Other MD network service centers can also offer the upgrade.
The conversion program upgrades the engine from the Rolls-Royce 250-C20B/R to the 250-C30 and adds longer main and tail rotor blades, a longer tail rotor driveshaft, tail rotor gearbox extension, modified tailboom, new vertical and horizontal stabilizers, and new cockpit instruments.
Resulting performance improvements include a 12% (350-pound) increase in maximum gross weight internal load and 6% (200-pound) increase in external load, with an additional 12% (198 pounds) of useful load. The new maximum gross weight is 3,350 pounds. Out-of-ground-effect hover climbs by 92% (5,500 feet).
“This achievement underscores our dedication to enhancing performance and accessibility through our MD network,” said MD Helicopters president Ryan Weeks. “Thoroughbred Aviation, a premier authorized service center, is playing a pivotal role in this effort, and we are excited to expand the availability of E-to-F upgrades. Demand for such upgrades is strong, and several more performance upgrades will be certified and released throughout 2025 for the MD500D, MD500E, and MD520N.”