Thu, Jun 10, 2010
STC Issued To Tempe-Based Van Horn Aviation For The Mod
The FAA recently issued an amended Supplemental Type Certificate
(STC) for the Van Horn Aviation (VHA) 206B/L series composite tail
rotor blade to include OH-58A+ and OH-58C models after reviewing
flight and engineering data submitted by the company.
Van Horn Composite OH-58 Tail Rotor
The VHA OH-58 tail rotor blade features corrosion and
damage-resistant carbon fiber skin, titanium root fitting,
electroformed nickel abrasion strip, and stainless steel pitch
bearings. The blade’s rugged construction contributes to its
5,000-hour life limit, which is double the service life of the OEM
blade at a competitive price. The laminar flow airfoil and shaped
tip design result in up to a 40 percent decrease in overall
aircraft noise according to FAA-mandated acoustics testing.
Operators currently flying the VHA blades also report increased
tail rotor authority.
“The City of Pasadena (California) Police Department has
been flying our blades on public-use OH-58’s for several
months, initially to evaluate noise reduction benefits and later
for the increased performance,” said VHA president James Van
Horn. “The amended STC now allows Restricted Category OH-58
operators to experience the physical and fiscal benefits of VHA
blades.”
Pasadena Police OH-58
“One of our primary missions is surveillance, and
occasionally you have to operate in a non-ground-effect hover to
keep your eyes on the target,” said Sergeant Michael Ingram,
one of eight Pasadena Police pilots flying the OH-58’s
bearing VHA blades. “The extra tail rotor authority gives you
more control and more power in low speed situations.”
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