Can Accommodate Larger-Diameter Tail Rotor Drive Shafts

DART Helicopter Services announced recently its affiliated partner, DART Aerospace Ltd., has received FAA approval of its Drive Shaft Tunnel for 205A-1/205B helicopters. This product has been Transport Canada certified; EASA certification is pending.

The DART Drive Shaft Tunnel has been designed incorporating several features that will reduce both installation time and maintenance costs. The new tunnel is larger at the forward end than the OEM assembly it replaces, in order to accommodate the larger diameter tail rotor drive shafts now common on Bell 205s.

DART says its Drive Shaft Tunnel also provides additional clearance around the tail rotor drive shaft at the forward firewall thereby easing alignment of the drive shaft and reducing the chance of the shaft contacting the tunnel during operations.

DART's Drive Shaft Tunnel features a removable center section below the starter/generator. This panel can be easily removed to provide extra clearance for starter/generator maintenance. Additionally, this section can be removed allowing for unprecedented access to view and inspect the tail rotor drive shaft. Due to the modular design, any of the four components of the drive shaft tunnel, including the Center section, may be independently replaced, without removal of the drive shaft, in the event of damage during routine maintenance rather than replacing the entire tunnel.

"Larger diameter tail rotor drive shafts and the Bell AD requiring frequent inspections have resulted in additional costs for operators both in maintenance and down time," said Bill Beckett, General Manager DART Aerospace. "The DART Drive Shaft Tunnels are now in stock at DART so we can immediately start providing operators with an alternative that relieves many of the inherent difficulties with the product currently available to operators.

"The improved inspectability and repleaceability make this is an ideal product to incorporate during routine overhaul," he added.

FMI: www.dartaero.com