Blade Strikes...yikes!

[justfly]

mechanically? - I'm thinking more like "whiskers", maybe 6" field replaceable fiberglass rods extending from the tips. Enough mass to notice one missing, not enough to imbalance the rotor?

 

electrically? - lasers are fairly common for levels and "tape" measures these days. Could a laser range finder be (cheaply/easily) incorporated in the tips?

 

I know the standard response to this is "bull$hit!, just watch what the fu** you're doing!", but isn't judging rotor tip distance to objects one of the most difficult tasks? Some VERY experienced drivers here have given examples, could those have been avoided simply by paying better attention? Should I quit thinking about this?

[cap]

justfly ------- I've suffered through bloody blade tape put on leading edges of Allouette II blades for sandy conditions, so let's not get into some sort of "proximity radar or beam" that's costs another $50,000 USD to have onboard. Besides, I'm now use to seeing creases on 206 blades about 2 1/2'-3' in from the tips anyway. I've even had customers ask me in the past if that was a special type of 206 blade because most had them, but the odd one didn't. I gave up a long time ago and just told them that they were a special type of "Mountain blade" and gave me more power in the mountains. Used to be hard to keep a straight face, but I can now do it as though I delivering news of a death in the family.

[justfly]

Yeah, 'spose I should quit being an oxy-moron! CHEAPLY and helicopter aren't exactly compatible, are they? hmmm... wada minit, where's that number for Torrance? :hide:

[Skidz]

I've got it: A forcefield all around the helicopter. Anything coming into contact with the forcefield is instantly vapourized (trees, birds, power lines, bridges, buildings, control towers, etc...). So, anyone wanna help me design and patent it ?

[Skidz]

i design....you test...Fair?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Something tells me I'd be getting :boff: ed in this deal...

[Elvis]

OK people what to do here.

 

I was an apprentice on my first job when in a bush camp 200 miles from an engineer I found that there was evidence that a blade strike had happened to the under side of the blade ( Bell 47) was marked with tell tale green strip

 

On finding this on the post flight inspection I asked the pilot what happened and was told he cliped a small tree on landing

 

 

Later on that night one of the passengers on board told me it was on purpose to show the cutting power of a M/R blade.

 

 

:elvis: :elvis:

[Helilog56]

Perhaps what you should have showed him....was the power of a bung wrench shoved up his...... :shock:

[VERTICAL REF]

...huh?...you guy's keep track of your hours?...

[deuce bigalow]

My first summer on a 47A in 76. The geololgist asked me to land in a clearing about the size of a football field. there was one lonely pine tree in the middle of the clearing and ....you guessed it....I hit the damned thing. The old 47 had weighted blades though. the outboard 12 inches was solid and it went through that old pine like a hot knife through beaver poop. Woke me up though.

[highbladedown]

Great video, I recall Bell showed it during the 212 maintenance training I had 25 years ago.......