Mon, Sep 22, 2008
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.
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