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407 Maintenance And Operating Pitfalls


nutmix
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Hi All,

 

I have a customer looking at possibly purchasing a 407 to replace an existing machine as the contarct weight is now going beyond its capability.

 

From an operators point, what are (if there are) any pit falls when using the machine primarily for longline rig shifts. It would be used in a high frequency short duration lift cycle. In the last 1800 hrs the machine has accumlated just over 22,000 T/E's.

 

What will it truthfully lift at 3000 ft, +25C, with 1 1/2 hrs worth of fuel?

 

From a maintainers point, are there any real issues, I believe there can be some issues with blade tabs cracking.

 

Any advice would be very helpfull.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Nutmix

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I can help you out a bit as I have flown and wrenched on 407 for 10 yrs...our work is at a lot lower than 3000 feet...sea level to 2000 ft max..usually somewhere around 1000 ft...we spray and haul water for fires...at max internal which we do during spraying we have usually around 370 lbs of fuel which is not an hr and a half...burns 350 lbs/hr but at that weight..5250...you can lift off a truck plateform which is out of ground effect and fly away at 95% with little or no wind and climb away without dropping a foot...have done this in temps up to 30C+....we have a 200 gallon bucket for fires and you can fly away straight up if you are down to 600 lbs of fuel...again on a 25C+ day below 2000 ft...average empty weight of machine is 2600 lbs...with pilot and all the junk that is in it we use 3000 lbs for empty weight... :P as for maintenance the machine is fairly user friendly...tabs cracking is a slight problem that can be worked around with the tracking gear..t/r gearbox oil seals tend to leak even after replacing them so if you don't mind the mess they are more of a nuisance then a hazard...but bell is working on a better seal...biggest hassell there is the pitch change seal which on ours is always filling up the dust boot and bell does not approve of cutting a hole to let it drain...dah...so every 50 hrs I drain the oil out of the boot ....the only other problem I have seen is with the oil cooler shaft bearings and the oil cooler squirrel cage...this assembly has to be balanced and with the grease flinging out of the bearings and the dirt that collects on the cage because of the grease you have a constant battle with the two and getting this assembly to stay at less than .1 ips is rediculous...so if your feet start to tingle it probably is not the tailrotor...check your cooler shaft ;)

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We have basically the same problems as dgp's previous message. The tabs on the blades do crack but only from frequent tab adjusting and if you follow the maintenance manual are easy to change. We have changed some overnight. Fuel boost pump pressure switches can also be a problem if refueling from barrels in the field or around dusty/sand areas. We have also had two episodes of hydraulic servos chattering in longlining hovering but again they are easy to change once you figure out which one is causing the problem. Over all the 407 is pretty reliable.

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From an operators point, what are (if there are) any pit falls when using the machine primarily for longline rig shifts. It would be used in a high frequency short duration lift cycle. In the last 1800 hrs the machine has accumlated just over 22,000 T/E's.

 

From a maintainers point, are there any real issues, I believe there can be some issues with blade tabs cracking.

 

You should get a current copy of the 407 airworthiness limitations, and check your lift cycle profile in regards to the RIN retirement index for life limited parts. With that many lifts per hour, you may have to replace parts often....

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