MIA INTENANCE oe. a i Rotor Blade Track and Balance Dc gad Tee aca eS Sn ek ae CR Muar) Ca Suc) BOke sie cma uicd Ree ace d Patee en ante eee aeio Ned S I RG | Hi L Place your overhaul needs in the experienced hands of our technicians at CAC’s FAA/EASA certified repair station. od Ue aa 2 =) A A Cy i 71 nego wwwhelimartcom A heli-meirt company eee mene euseTiVitupeeve MAINTENANCE hi fea cere ie) Ceres DEPARTMENTS Vertical Viewpoint 4 News 32 New Products “ Ad Index 46 Edoval Oector “6 doe Escobar | 920.747.0195 _sscoberHelcaptrMalntnanceMagaane com Fred Polak | 423.694.5038 [email protected] Managing Ealtor | Dionne SI Contibuting Writers | Mike Bi Patrick Doyle, James Fett, Bob Graf | £08.77.490 bgef@HelcopteMaintenanceMagiaine om Becker 505,LLE | info@beckerS05 com Fo suascr=™nON AEGLESS 08 UPDATES) [email protected] October | November 2014 FEATURES Accessories Koosirg Your Hos: Mssion Ready 6 Airframe coos vibes — Rotor Bade Tack and Balance 10 Engines c+ sirpio w 290 the Lie of Turbine Engne 16 sto Training + New Wwist on rang 22 Editorial Advisory Board dwar JrWO Konoinonn ‘A Tong, long time ago in 2 galaxy far, fr away.” ‘oh, sorry, thas not where this started, but it seems at way. At Heli-Expo 2013 in Las Vegas, Saffan Turbomeca hosted a symposium on the global helicopter mechanic shortage. As editor of Helicopter Maintenance magazine (HMM), was asked to attend, It was a great symposium and by invitation, some ofthe biggest names in our industry were represented there. The problem discussed and responses were to a truly serious and, asthe tide eye opening, and just ast states, "Global" isu Turbomeca representatives that | would write an article about the symposium (eee the December 2013 ise informed ‘of HMM) and that is how it ll begae In November 2013, 1 received s phone call from John- Louis Mostajo, corporate raining director for Turbomeca [As s courtesy I sent him a copy of the article befor to print. He liked itand the next thing T knew, he suggested another symposium at Heli-Expo 2014 in Anaheim, CA, beginning Feb, 23, Please remember that it was already eatly ays hhere in the US.— we were ata serious timing disadvantage November and between Thanksgiving and Christmas hol (Over the next few weeks, Jean-Louis and I * quite a bit ofcime on the phone and exchanging e-mails on the thought of another symposium at Heli-Expo 2014. In the end ‘we decided that we did not have enough time to do it right and opted for another way t0 go. We would jointly develop 4 questionnaire that would be kicked off at Heli-Expo 2014, and we would use the answers to the questionnaire asthe core for 4 symposium to be held at HATS Heli-Expo 2015 in ‘Orbe, FL cl SS NaN RRO OO 2, Hea Polak | Eoterin Cnet The Global Helicopter Mechanic Shortage Survey The card pictured Heli-Expo 2014 and listed the Web site where participants could take the survey: Duc to the efforts of Jean-Louis and Saffan Turbomeca the survey was conducted in association ‘with Helicopter Association International (HAD, the 1 Association (EHA) and HMM. efore I continue, I want our readers to know that forthe st time ever in HMM, this issue a an article. Its too important to be lin page editorial Since this editorial/aricle mened out co be way too Tong for our magazine’ print edition, the editorial staff and I thoughe we would give you the gist of i all here, and put t doing Figure 1 made ite initial debut at European Helicop oral is continuing inthis stile in its entirety on our We ste at www ame on its Web sites, Purpose of the Survey [Av the time the survey began, there was no globsl dats available that pertained strictly to helicopeer maintenance professionals, Only a recent fixed-wing survey conducted by the Boeing Company concluded that there is a major shortage of A&P/AME professionals in this career category. Therefore the purpose of the survey was to obtain global input from the view. We abo wanted an input fom younger ‘were considering this field as 2 icopter maintenance professional’ point of sdviduals who seer choice Methodology online questionnaite chat would be avalable on Web site fora period of three months (March through June 2014) Promotion ofthe qucitionnaire was kicked off ducing HAU's Heli-Expo show in February 2014.4 link to the survey was ako posted on the offical HAT and EHA Web sites, in the Saffan Turbomeca training network and on its online customer support Web site Ie wae also ited in various helicopter magazine publications Continued on page 25,Tired of compressor case plastic lining failure? we (a: PROBLEM SOLVED AvidAir's Carbon Fiber Composite ... a whole new level of performance & durability, With nearly 1000 Carbon Fiber Composite lined compressor cases serving customers worldwide such as the DEA, EMS fleets, police departments and militaries operating in the harshest environments. You too can now enjoy longer than ever TBOs, guaranteed. The industry’s best compressor case backed by COR aac Ren aCe ae OC i OT UCC oy Sean [VT fake 816.246.4527 Eff wwwaavidair.com oe tresyour helicopter uses a rescue hoist in some missions and you are responsible for maintaining it, read on. If Your helicopter does not have 4 rescue hoist 40 that there is n0 ‘maintenance to be performed, read on anyway.as this is good maintenance information that might prove invaluable to yoss down the road [As a helicopter maintenance professional, you might have ne inspecting and maintaining rescue hoists in your Maybe now itis a regular part of your jab, While there are many dilferent types of hoists and the components therein, they basically afl wor the same and have similar maintenanc that follows might ieular brand or eype more generic and is se no matter what type of hoist you are using Helicopter rescue hoists generally have 2 motor, cont «trum, eable and hook, All the reat tions have basi ‘maintenance needs and inspections to be done daly, monthly, annually and afer specific mistion use, We are not going to pet into all he detls here, but will cover some little-known tips eas that wil elp you get the most out of your hoist and help prevent unnecessary breakdowns and related service needs, Let stare with the cable drum and cable removal. Typically, when you rin the hoist fall otto enable removal ofthe cable, there will sil he three or four wraps of cable around Bthe drum. There is 4 procedute for working ths, so please follow the manufactur nended steps. One thing that i er daring 2 cable removal is chat once you fully do not run the hoist or rotate the precision sya. cly throw off the level wind shat, in addition to che switches and sensors of thePassion for Support SC Cet eta es CeO ee Rc Fee ORE eae Pe ae Re ene eR a a support and training solutions to maximise efficiency, availability and Oren tcc Everything we do, we do with passion. LEADING THE FUTURE EPIC Uke] EA Caen tit Rn cue Teau ngee The eyclocentric controls the slow-speed zones, full out cable length and other critial controls for the hoist, Think of ic this way: ifyou removed the distributor from your car’ engine, and then put it back with a tooth or two off everything would be out of sync and tl 1g would be way off, ts the same thing on a reseue hoist,Tirming and proper and safe operation, and you want ro have issues, Ifthe timing and ronization are severely disrupted, it will re rework and recalibration of the hoist, causing downtime and are not areas whet synch ire factory added costs to correct the ise, Figure I= Cable and Dru Figure 2~ Cable Removed Tip No. 2: Spring Compression ‘Another simple yet important safety procedure is called the hook."Uhie is merely retracting the cable and hook into the hoist with enough pressure hook dacs not freely swing or move when the hoist i “fall in? Bac “hominy censare that che ‘spring bumper type will hve a specific compression ‘measurement. In the case of our example the full-in spring, 5 — 1.40 inches. This holds the what we call work hardening. 6 cable at compression should be 0 book in place and pre for premature ftigue of Ifthe hook is not homed propesy, it can swing back and forth, causing the cable to wear asthe helicopter i lying This weakens che cable to the point where breakage and/or separation could oecar while in ase. Another way t0 look at itis ifyou took a paperclip and repeatedly bend i back and forth until it breaks — not 3 scenario that you want to play out on a rescue hot 1 hook connection ¥ ts al ——, — Figure 3— Full-In Spring Compression Tip No. 3: Cleaning the Hook While we're on the subject of the hook itself, keeping the book swivel bearings clean helps prevent needs to be done to keep the hook in top functioning order. ature wear, and [A simple check rotating the hook body with one finger will censure chat che hook swivels feely and does not bind. Ifa binding si by cleaning and re-greasing the hook bearing. In a rescue the load the hook does se ean ueually be resolved scenatio, the roror wash from the helicopter ca fon the hook to rotate as it nears the aircraft I not swivel properly and binds up during a rescue, the ca itself could start owisting and cause premature eable looseness Alli take i a quick check and a sn le sep to alleviate the No. 4: Grouns Cartridges (Ours quick bp has ge and related you have the hoist Do the helicopter for ‘maintenance, pleas of removing the as cartridge-grounding plug from che cable cut mechanism This will prevent an accidental firing of the cartridge of the exble cut button by an unenlightened colleague), resting in the cable being cut and a replicement then becom Figure 4— Hook and q Swivel Bearings 1g mandatory Figure §~ Canridge Grownding Pg While these tps might sound like basic common sense and easly implemented, we have fielled many calls and have seen many hoists come in for additional repairs due to issues like these. If you're interested in lear nance and tips from the exp training department for details on out ight line safety and (073) 602-1001 or at wwwbreeee-eastern.com.4 1g more about rescue hoist ts, you can contact Our smaintenance training course by ea signing up via our Web su James ett isthe dvecor of training and technical supp aster, elope hi Patrick Doyle is a customer support enginser there Breeze i and winch provider4s the number of significant performance benefits Bell 407 and MD 600 Cree eS eh Re RUM eas oes oeN CN ol aaa s Eve aetna ses cone WE gn 4) increase your range, 2) increase your service ceiling, 3) improve your performance and 4) consume less fuel. Contact your Aviall representative Cae eee Ee _ Proudly Keeping the World in Flight aviall.com VIAGL a Rolls-Royce [North America Sales and AOE: 1-200-AVALL-1 International Sle: 1-572-585-1085’ GOOD VIBES ROTOR BLADE TRACK AND BALANCENothing new. Same great Laversab quality and service, now for helicopters and small jets. 6200 SERIES Helicopters & Small Jets Meet our comprehensive family of Air Data Test Sets 6300 SERIES 6500 SERIES 6600 SERIES Jets, Airliners & Fighters Laboratory Rack Version Aircrafts with Smartprobes We have the tester you need Contact us for information and pricingrr Static Balance of Rotor Blades Initially, newly manufactured blades were balanced to & “master blade" that was created by the manufactute. [twas ‘common fora Blade shop to have walls ill of master Blades to balancing 2 repaired blade. 5. Se tos ofen nll atthe op wg sata wee sal sre in he Boy asad he nected 20 balance” is always done in the shop where there is ‘The balance can be done using large fixture which is calibrated to the master blade, to mount and support the blade during the balance process, Increased seale sensitivity can be used when greater accuracy i require. Installing these weight allowed the shop technician to smatch the blade being balanced to the factory master Blade This allowed exact matching in chord and span moments before the blade is installed on the helicopter. The weights are ssually installed or removed atthe tip because balance is much more accurate theough adjustment of che ip weights profiled to ideal design shape by band and 1 helicopter ‘or 4 whiel tower after they had been adjusted to the desired est average marked as master blades, and thes Typ balance values. Then the blades that exhibited flight charaeverities wer he model forall the fllowing Bldes of cht 3 cally, che average was taken of at leat 10 blades, The goal of static balancing was to try to match the val of che newly manufactured of repaired blades to the calibrated master blade, Now if ll new blades could be manufactured to the same shape, weight or profile al identically. However, minor shape differences influr charset blades would lift and fly se Hight sof a new blade and can exuse lift dierences, These lif differences can only be detected when the blade js in motion on the helicopter or a whirl tower where Hifi generated, Adjusting for if ‘motion dynamic balance, and thus the mechanics began to .ce" of blade tracking and balancing. diferences calls for a rotorsin- learn the “sciem Arete VRLA Cr iitay Tie OLIN Gas cr oe rey re ee cae TELEDYNE aS PRODUCTS ce etc LN Ora 92374 Let) NRRL IE SEA TU Eat ta tt eral= eucoptestiantenanceMagenne coms rr Dynamic Balance of Rotor Blades ‘ier a now blade has been statically balanced inthe shop, itis installed on the helicopter, tn onder to achieve the best possible balance, the center of mas ofthe rotor disk mut be located atthe mas or the rotor di wil try to wobble ike an tunbulinced lad ina washing machine. This clled a ater imbalance, i(k side to side and icis corrected by adjusting tip or oot weights to ensure the ip balnce moments are ‘ential in each blade, (Once the lateral balance adjustments are worked ous and the rotor spinning smoothly with no vibration, is tme to ensure that each blade hs the same ia its mates while the rotor dik spinning. Ifthe Hi ofeach blade i not the sme, there would be a veri vibration felt each time the blade sent around as differences im if are elt, here are severs ways to adjuet che overall lif of each blade, and this fll under the “science” part of doing the balance om the helicopter. Long before modern electronic balance equipment was de- veloped, it was thought that iFeach blade had the same track ast went around the rozor disk, there were no lift differences and we could all go home early. However, our world is rarely perfect, and in this fa-from-perfect world, it was sometimes necessary to take steps to adjust the lift of one or more blades in the system. This i where the “tacking flag” method of adjusting tack and lift began. Flag Tracking ‘The method of doing this bick in the day was ricky and not forthe faint of hear. Ie required a sendy pllt and a brave ‘mechanic who held long pole with ashore cloth fag atthe end.The blade tips were marked with diferent colored chalk or crayon on each blade tip. The guy om the ground careflly tilted the cloth on the pale into the spinning rotor tps. Ihave spent many hours ying a helicopter during ag-trecking operations and the though of having a poe ated into the rotor tps is rather foreign to mort pilots. | always trusted the pole holder to try not to get distracted bya presy ie walking by or an aizplane fying overhead, I mentioned to him how much his hands hur if the pole would accidentally hit the blade tip while he was holding it. Exch bide would leave colored marks on the cloth and show where each ‘ade tip pated by This showed the fight path diferences or ~tmacks” ofeach blade tip and indicated which blade required raising or lowering to match the tack ofthe other blades ‘There ate several adjustments that a mechanic can we orate or lower the track ofa blade, and each adjustment will change the if ofthat blade ‘One adjustment sso change the blade pitch angle ofthe bade up oF down by adjusting the pitch inks at che root. An- other ito adjust che Bade trim tab. Each method will change individ Bade Hit and allow the mechanic to bring the track (and lif) inline. For year, this was the most often used aethod of adjusting dynamic balance on the helicopter. Whirl Tower Tracking Some manufacturers track their newy-manufactured blades ‘on a whirl tower, which closely approximates a helicopter rotor system in motion. First, the new blade is sttieally balanced to a master blade in the shop. Then the blade is ‘mounted on the tower with a calibrated master blade along ‘with one o more blades thar need co be balanced. Some whirl towers use so blades and others we three, he pitch Tinks on the tower rotor head have load cells that measure the lift of each blade a t rotates and allows i to be adjusted relative co the master blade. ‘The diference between tricking on the helicopter and the ‘whi tower is that in addition to pitch link and trim tab ad- justmtents, the operator i able to do a choed weight shift. This is very effective and can change the blade Tit without 2 drag, penalty of adjutting the trim tab. Shifing the weight af causes 8 blade to climb, whereas shifting the weight forward causes it to dive. Most rotor Bld ate designed to have a chord center of gravity (CG) of approximate 25 percent at of the blade leading edge (which is neutral postion) This ensures the blade’ stability in Hight and that the Bight charseterstcs of| the blade will be predictable when ics installed in the field Portable Electronic Balancers ‘The industry has recently Been experiencing great success ‘with new portable computerized balance and teacking equipment. Thete new unit give the operator information about tacking and balance and they Aly with the helicopter to diagnose and make suggestions of what adjustments need 0 be made to the rotor system. They offer information about weight changes to make, whether to adjust pitch links, for whether to sweep the blades to concentrate or reduce effective weight ina certain part of che disk, These units can usualy do this in one oF wo fights which results in considerable cost savings. I, for one, am much happier because T don’: have to do any more Bagetracking fights Dana stared working sivtft maintenance in the United States Air Foe in 1959, turing tunenches on B-52 Hombers. He holds an FAA repairman: cetifiate om rotor bes and alo hos _gound instructor oficates for base, advanced and a Inctraent ratings Dama has been a chief plot instructing in ainplanes ond helicopters since 1970. He hasbeen active ie Blade epaie since 1981, and presently vice president of International aviation Composites Ltd in Fort Worth, PX, He hs been teaching totor blade preventive maintenance at FAA TA rfsher clini for 10 years He is alo om the advisory board of Helicopter Maintenance magazineThe NEW Hawkeye: V2 Video Borescope! * Sharp, Clear Photos & Video Large 5-inch LCD Monitor + Easy-to-Use Controls + Rugged Tungsten Sheathing + Quality Construction * Precise 4-Way Articulation Starting at only $8,995 YE" VIDEO BORESCOPES 90° Prism, & We've improved the image quality in the new Hawkeye® V2 Close-Focus, with a higher resolution, more light sensitive camera, delivering ‘ips available! qa bright, crisp, clear images! The new 5” LCD Monitor provides comfortable viewing, and intuitive, easy-to-use controls, allow photo and video capture at the touch of a button! We've increased the 4-way articulation range, and improved the feel. Its still small, lightweight, portable, delivers great image quality, and is priced starting at only $8995. Available in 4 and 6 mm diameters. Optional 90° Prism, and Close-Focus, adapter tips available. Made in USA Gradient LehCorporation’ | gradiontiens.comv2 | 900.536.0790EIGHT SIMPLE WAYS TO DECREASE THE LIFE OF A TURBINE ENGINE [Along with the fre from the candles on my birthday cake making the “breaking news” from the Sky-Cam on all th sr thing that confirmed I have gotten older is when I was aked for an opinion on helicopter turbine eng been doing this for such a long time:” I remember when I had long hair instead of longing to have hai, and an old guy told ‘me to pay atention because time flies face than you think: He was right, I don't know when I became the old guy who “has been doing this fora long time” — but the calendar and 2 follicle-challenged head dont lie. Now that we have established that Tan local channels, the o maintenance iases because Ihave now the old guy who has been doing this fora while, ler sce what maintenance iste I can share with you. Before I share my tribal knowledge, you should know # familiar with the OEMs operation and maintenance manuals (Ops {& Maine manuals). Our companies spend a considerable amount of money keeping these manuals current and the sou of time obtaining and printing chs wealth of maintenance informatir ‘manuals. Although tribal knowledge that is based upon our experiences and shared between us is good, in conjunction with and not instead ofthe insruetions in the (Ops & Maint mans. Next, another bit of advice for both you and your pilos. Get to know your helicop Tite and foremost we should be more th (OEMs have spent considera it should be used + when itis operating as advertised appens to it when cabin heat, LLeaen and knovr the idle yp, and the bleed air accessories ae utilized, ant and air operated particle separators. All helicopters have an sceeptable vibration signature, Learn it before there isa report of a*hicfieg vibes" We wi Knowing the engine oil p and duting normal operation is another subject we will tlk discuss more about vibrations late cssure and temperature both at idle bout in a bit.You both should know the NI/Ng rpm during normal fight operations.A change means something and requires investigation, Mike Broderick | Contiuting Autor Low oil prestre oF high oil emperatore will ca bearings and gears to wear prematurely. If there is metal generation and it appears o be insignificant (based upon the Ops & Maint ‘manual, keep the and follow the Ops & Maint manual procedures, These are {use some bits of tribal knowledge that we will expand on Inter There are eight major maintenance issues. call chem the vil eight Any one of these evil eight will by itself inflict significant hharm upon the unsuspecting turbine engine, resulting in a reduction of its operational life. An attack by any combination ight will hasten ting ofthe turbine ‘grim reaper (aka the curbine repair shop). As helicopter ‘maintenance professionals, it ight operationally harmful events, and either prevent eheir ‘occurrence or at least mitigate thei activities. cal, record the engine time of occurrence of the evil the So here are the evil eight: Pilots Hot starts Exceeding recommended operating tem- peratures Corrosion Erosion Engine vibrations Metal degeneration Engine stalls/surge Surprised by this lis? Good. Now that Ihave your examine these from our maintenance ve. Where Better to Begin than with pilPILOTS Pilots are at the top ofthe lis when it comes to affecting the life ofa turbine engine. From the moment they pres the start button until the twist grip or throttle lever is moved to fel cutoff, even in the best of circumstances, the plot is tsing up the operational limits ofthe engine components and accessories Its part oftheir jab. Our job isto give them a safe helicopter so they can do their jb, What are these limits? Engine life is bated on 2 combination of Bight hours and/or engine event eycles, Every Jne OEM, based upon its research, calculates imied number of fight hours and eycles to its engines, Each flight hour consumed moves the engine closer to a schedules maintenance and/or overhaul event. Ev eparate fiom flight hours bur calculated using the same research. An cgine start where it reaches idle is considered an event cyl and the beginning of che hour’ time clock. Some engine (OEMs also assign cycles or percentages of cycles based upon excursions into certain N1/Ng rpms. As [said eatlie, in the best of circumstances the pilot i using up the assigned life of the engine, Ifyou toss in a hot start or an exceedance of the recommended operating temps, all things that can be within che plor’s contol, nd the date with the maintenance department just gor closer. GROUND ECs How we maintenance folks deal with this begins with crust TPhere must be a symbiotic trast het piloss). When it should be BFFs — best friends fo Tru it like a three-legged stool. Every day the pilots eust has sn them 2 suf helicopter as they play “you bet your life" with che helicopter we give them. That isthe beginning ingredient or the first leg ofthe crust element. We ‘oust they will eur the helicopter in one piece, undamaged, fs the turbine engine before i is shue down. That is No, 2. That now ends our trust in che pilot, right? Noy communication between us and them. The pilots are our best troubleshooting tool and they need to understand and be comfortable with th sn us and them (the ete pilots and us have and that the last whining we will h not hardly. The thied leg is “Who knows how that engine is running better chan the pilot who has been working it for the last couple af hours? If we give th what we need fiom them regarding engine oj listen to them during the post-light conversation, ox jobs a rotor doctors (helicopter maintenance professionals) will be ‘hat much easier Ths communication isthe final ingredient Titee insight into to total crust. Here are some suggestions for information the P--WER FOR UNBEATABLE GROUND POWER UNITS ee peur ete eect ee - THERE |S NO SUBSTITUTE! WWW.STARTPAC.COM=I 1) The engine idle temperature just prior to shut down. A rise in this temperature will indicate a probable cooling air leak 2) The engine oil pressure and temperature and any change to the steady state readings during fight and at idle. 3.) Any noticeable change in the vibration signature ‘hac they feelin che controls any time the engine i ‘operating. 44) Any possibilty ofa temperature exceedance either during flight or at stare, Some helicopters have eurbine temperature recording devices. [have abways felt that this information was recorded not because the pilot can’t be crusted to report it, but Because the pilots ae usually pretty busy flying che helicopter and can’t always know ‘exactly the length of time and che actual eemperatuce that was reached atthe time of an exceedance, This information is vita as the Ops & Maine manuals are very specific, meaning one second in degtce of exceedance can make significant difference in the required maintenance and the cost ofthe repair. 5.) Available power during fight, Was there a higher engine temperature required to achieve the same torgue oF power. How much? Perhaps the comprestor needs 4 ‘wash or there is some FOD or a malfinctioning bleed valve. 6) What isthe N1/Ng epm during normal operation? ‘They should know chat this information is important to.us.A change in N1/Ng can be the harbinger of am eroded compressor or turbine. 11.) The other engine issue to which a pilot can be the contsibutor bas to do with engine surging, I will explain more when we get to that section ‘&) Any abnormality inthe behavior of the helicopter that the pilot notes i our responsibility HOT STARTS ‘The pilot isin control ofthis event most ofthe time. Tsay most ofthe time because they are the ones controlling the fael ow on the start, even in the case of engines equipped with fill authority digital engine conteols (FADEC).The pilots have the ultimate contra, or do they? A FADEC system has ts own set of specific checks as does a conventional system and we won't get into the particulars of either. Suffice ‘to say the items listed below are generic to all ystems. Here are some items that are out ofthe pilots control: 11) His the helicopter just completed a maintenance event? 44) Is the rigging correct? 1b) Is che fuel control properly adjusted? ©) Are all the fuel sytem pneumatic lines tight and the system fee ffom leaks? 2) Is the battery fly charged? A low battery will not sustain the sarcer rpm Ubrough an entire start sequence, causing s hot start, 3.) Have the inlet covers been removed? 44) A bot start requires accurate reporting from the pilot. [As Tsai eatlier, one second and/or a single degree will have a significant impact. = eucoptestiaintenanceMagenne coms 5.) Remember that damage from a hot start might be more noticeable downstzea in the turbine. As the fuel/ sir ratio ie out of balance, the fame will be secking air further into the turbine section to sustain itself Thus the ‘up of the fame will be moved from its normal location in the combustion section while its searching for air and expensive turbine parts t sauté EXCEEDING RECOMMENDED OPERATING TEMPERATURES Turbine temperature equates co available power Toe hot ‘means diminished engine performance, an increate in uel consumption and a decrease in engine ie All right, so our pil returns and reports that he ro she exceeded the temperature limits in fight. Once again this ‘when good relations hetween the pilot and maintenance ‘come into play If this was 2 happy running engine before the flight, then the pilot will have so help us with all che circumstances involved did he or she try to Lif too much oF {got into tight spot and needed an arm fll of collective to get out? is he or she working ina dusty dirty environment? We need to know what he or she noticed before and after the exceedance, Ifthe helicopter has an exceedance reporting system then you will hive accurate numbers to work with, Performance degradation occurs most often overtime. the pilot were in a normal flight mode and reports escalating temps compared to earlier fights, there is reason to suspect a problem, They are our BFFs when it comes to sroubleshooting 1.) How much have the temps increased? 2) Has the N1/Ng changed over a period of time? 4.) An increase in NI/Ng indicates possible eroded or dirty compressor, malfunctioning bleed valve (sticking open),and/or an alr leak in bleed air supported aircraft accesories, bb) A decrease in N1/Ng indicates a posible eroded 3, Did the helicopter tly through some ain, smoke cor dust? 2) Rain cou “mud” restricting the airflow. bb) Smoke could coat the compressor blades with an oily residue and reduce ite ability to compress the air properly ©) Dust can erode the compressor blades, once ry to tuen dir in the particle separator £0 again compromising the compresor’ abi perform effectively. Sometimes we might need to go for a flight to get better fel for the problem, (Ok, so we have put the pilot in informational download, gone for a maintenance check flight and referred to the Ops '& Maint manual, The combination of this information will help guide our investigation. Ths is when restraint and a .g00d troubleshooting plan come into play: We need to resist the temptation of going to the most difficult posible reason forthe engine problem and begin removing engines and components. In trouble shooting use the K.L.S. method:"keepit simple” Start with the eases stu first, Begin with s chock of the reporting system, In other words, we need to be st giving us correct readings. We to inspecting the engine’ systems depending upon that the sircrafinstrum proce CORROSION Corrosion pr ion i srietly a maintenance responsibility clean inside and out should be de Keeping our helicopt ‘igor in our maintenance routine. Frequent rinses forthe gine, plus a regular wash ofthe internal engine, make for airfame and components of happy running engine sing helicoptes.The air thatthe engine main rotor blades. This ar is fll of tu just waiting to atack copter as well as che vulnerable engine components quency of ts use on the helicopter and the engine, isa aubject that can and TThe purity of the water we usc, aswell as the will bean article on its own in an upcoming issue of Helicopter Maintenance magazine. Right now sufice ito say a clean helicopter isa happy helicopter Coma EROSION Running with the same crowd as the corrosi sir ae tough litle pieces of dire and sand that work in dem with the corrosive guys to exact as much damage ir helicopter and its components. Th they remove any corrosive-resistant protective castings. This gives theit srget for them (Our defense aginst this destructive group isa good filtration As collective group, the OEMs corrosive budd chief engine have attempted to make the engine components out of more resilient materials wich marginal success, Our job isto keep the tration system clean and keep a vigilant watch on the d out in the Ops & Main manual. VIBRATIONS Unlike the song made famous by the Beach Boys, there are no ‘Good Vibrations” for s turbine engine, With eubine engine 000 £0 6,000 and several rpms running the gamut from ranges in-between, rotational balance is cite Unless we work for a repair station that overhauls engines, swe don’t have control over the rotational balance of the engine components, Our job is to recognize when it begins TRAINING IN: ENGINEERING « MANUFACTURING - REPAIE DIRECT SERVICES: R&D + ENGINEERING - ON-SITE TRAINING * CONSULTATION A5 Day Course In Advanced Composite Education Provides The Lift Your Career Nee www.abaris.com (775) 827-65682 | eucoptestiaintenanceMagenne coms =I to exhibit an unbslanced behavior. As a former purveyor of turbine engine overhauls, have always suggested to the ‘operator that after installation of an overhauled engine oF engine module, they should do a vibration survey prior £0 releasing the helicopter back to service, Be sure to keep the information obtained ftom the vibration analysis equipment for comparison when you suspect an engine vi ‘Without equipment, how do we recognize a vibration prior co intalling equipment? A quick way to learn about the vibes without equipment is by touching dhe hard lines on the engine and other components during a ground run, at swell ashy feeling the sheet metal on the helicopter while it is running. A “high freq” fel ike an electric shack to the tps of our fingers. Make note if there is a sudden and frequent requirement for external navigation light bulbs, oF a sash of | sheet metal cracks, or we are sddenly replacing hard line support clamps. Verifying our touch information via vibration reporting equipment is best. Remember that vibration survey wwe did when things were working right? Now we have a baseline from before for a comparison which will help identify the offending component sooner eather than late, METAL DEGENERATION: (Ok, what about metal degeneration? Well, with all of those spinning gears and compressor and turbine wheels, the engine basa bunch of bearings that need the loving care of a good Jorication systers.The compeessor wheel and turbine wheel assemblies should be checked for balance also. Now is a good time for s quick review of the use of oil 1.) Provide lubrication 2) Remove heat 43.) Carry away dirt and debris. Bearing life i jeopantized if our lubrication system is not providing these services. All engine OEMs provide filtration and cooling systems to help the olin its job. The other neat thing the OEMs have done is manuficture the gears and bearings owt of ferrous material. Ifa bearing or 4 gear begins to fail and shed metal, t will be attracted to a magnetic capture and reporting system in the engine-These devices are known as chip plugs. The plugs are basically an open electrical circuit that sits strategically within the oil flow system, When a piece of ferrous material flows by che chip plug, itis attracted ta the center section of te chip plug. Ie completes the electrical cicuit once the metal debris bridges the gap between the center ofthe plug and the external grounding portion. It doesn't take much metal to complete the open circuit which illuminates a bulb on the flight panel inthe cockpit. The light projects through 2 raslucene face with che word “CHIPS."Trust me, the light is Bright enough to get any pilots attention. Pilots are instructed to “nd the helicopter as soon ae practical” and investigate the cause for the light. Our Jjab a8 the maintenance folks is to make sure they don't have to experience an illurninated chip light. We make sure there isthe corzeet level of oil inthe cexternally-mounted oil tank. There are markings on the tank sight glas co help with this inspection, We need to follow the OEM instructions on the frequency of oil changes. ‘We monitor the filters for debris and make sure that the filters and oil cooler are kept clean. Along with correct oil emperature, proper oil presure is abo a must. Tp most turbine oil pressure eystems, we should not have to constantly adjust oil prssure. Once it set we should not have to change iA decrease in oil presure is an indicator of compromised system seals. inezeate isan indication of a blockage of one of the oil delivery nozzles or elsewhere within the «ystem. Boch incidents requice investigation and correction of the cause How long do you think a besring will survive in an engine that’ exhibiting vibrations? Remember, oi sth lie blood of the engine — keep it cool and keep it clean. Any amount of| ‘metal accumlation that has complete the chip light cist is significant. The engine will generate some metal throughout its ie... just a normal course of events. Even ifthe found ‘meal is considered “normal,” we should save it and record the engine time when the metal was generated, What we ace looking for here ie a trend. If we have the bearing or gear in the early stages of fire, we want to catch it for it fils, completely and affects the rest ofthe engine ENGINE STALLS/SURGE [As we all knovr turbine engines ingest enormous quansties of ar, Within a very short physical space, the compressor increases the ambient sie presure to eight of nine times above normal by squeezing or compresing it. The turbine then takes this compressed air and with the aid of an extremely hot flame (3,000 degrees F), accelerates the speed something close to Mach 1 while extracting this heat energy and converting it to kinetic or working energy, and thereby producing. horsepower to sustain helicopter ight The shape and composition of the compressor wheel, stator blades murbine wheel blades and turbine nozale guide vanes is critical. Any change to the geometry of the rating components which move the air or the tationary guides which direct the sir will cause a disruption in air Bowe This disruption i called engine stall or surge. There are three ssudible warning signs that the engine is experiencing an airflow dscuption, 1) A kind of honking or rumbling noise, We will «ypically hear this during an engine sareThis is normal and doce not result in damage to the compressor or turbine 2,) A group of short rapid explosions, sounding very much like a sting of firecrackers igniting. This is not normal and its cause should be investigated.(There ita system ‘malfunction and continuation of this event will lead to 4 more severe stall (see No.3 below), and cause internal damage to the compressor and/or turbine 3,)A loud bang sometimes accompanied by flames exiting ‘the compressor inlet, The for sure is not normal, and. most of the ime its occurrence causes an interruption to engine operation, and in all cates also causes a lot of internal damage to the compressor and/or turbineWhar ean cause the te low abnormality? 1.) Hovering in a downwind condition 2.) Hovering and ingesting the engine exhaust 3) Maneuvering the hel high attitude 4) An eroded compressor 5.) Malfunctioning bleed valve (closing t00 soon) 6.) A fel system requiring adjustment 1.) An eroded turbin 8) Blocked or x. Items one through three are obviously pilot induced. Nothing we can do here other than to make sure the pilots they were copter into an unusually nose \d/or combustion 5 ited ar ink. can describe the severity of the sal ae well 36 w doing with the helicopter. Ik ight are squarely in department Is our responsiblity to ensure thatthe systems helicopter are in proper configuration and operating as designed. As we discussed atthe beginning, our job is to provide a safe helicopter to the pilot. This requires constan diligence from us rogarding che helicopter’ condition. To help us with our job is an apen and honest dialog between the pi believe me. Post-ight conversation with the pilot is much easier than a post-accident conversation with an FAA or TSU representative. 1 four in th sand the maintenance crew Sounds easy uh? Te is Coma is old guy will let you al get back to work, I appreciate your leting me share my years of experience in engine and helicopter maintenance and would appreciate learning some of your tribal knowledge. You ar never 90 old to learn. One last thing — helicopters are not the only things that fly Trust me, time fies faster than any helicopter! Mike has Been an A&P Technician since 1971 Diurng his creer he has worked as «shop and hangar tcnician, field tech and eastomer support rep and owner ofa Part 145 engine everheul ful, He was alo the VP of business development {at FLE.R.OLS. ne, whith isa Part 145 repair station for the Rolls-Royce 250 engine anda Honeywell fue system overhaul agency His spec experience en turbo shat engines i light 0 medians helicopters. The ome he is most Rolle Reyer (formally Alison) 250 rere engines Mike is curently employed at TRACE WorldWide Corp, a ts busines development speciale sila with isthe Mike is eso a member of Helopter Maintenance magazine's Advisory Board. ke eo aeons it as Ct KOOKS) MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. MAINTENANCE TRACKING Taste es keping agate acti. Rcan ipa pou, cause eras and FLIGHT OPERATIONS tl xt donnie Te ste: SB00KS Arca anager Sytm—a we Sad maitenncs W Jay. "ka ft opratos an cunt arr roan. Tis ovae, onine soln aon mst DOCUMENT VAULT paper eis, oing ou css tal infomaton aye arbor. sale; mae scr ard INVENTORY MANAGEMENT protesite ae othe aan. 266529700 | skyboks com SskuBooks’ TA Texzon Company ATION MAQAGeMENT SOLUTIONSVin deat DUD foresees own Loan you wi ind it be he home of fabulous cooking, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesay in English) and Shreveport, the home of Metro Aviation, Metro Aviation was incorporated in 1982 at a helicopter charter, ight training and maintenance operation. Ie entry ‘nto the air medieal service business came in November 1943 with the acquisition of two used Hughes 500-D model helicopters, when Metro Aviation entered into Jonge-term agreement to provide helicopter ambulance service fo Schumpert Medical Cen Starting with Schump aftr, Metro has remained committed to in Shreveport. LA simmple, involved management sole. Meteo Aviation's entire management i aways available fer questions, commer and decisions. The hands-on style practiced by their senior ‘management offen results in preventing potential issues and problems. This basic business practice was lid as Metro’ Today, Meto Aviation’ reputation for excellence in helicop As such, they have growth has been is internationally recognized joyed substantial growth, and that sreflly controlled to allow them the nost qualified personnel Regardless ofits size, Metro Aviation has remained commited ‘oppornanicy to select only tthe basic principles it outlined years ago and continues to ae \ offers 4 new ewist on taining, Not only ean its ceive pilot training on the aircraft Metro Aviation Now it training from Turbomeca and Prat & Whitney It can alo provide human specialists can also receive factory maintenan. factors and fatigue taining to the main Our story on the training center continues with ry Palmer, Metro Aviation’s directo HMM ~ Flo, Terry, What isthe primary business of Metra ‘Aviation and what led to the decision to build a customer Palmer ~ Meco Aviation is one ofthe largest air medical ‘operators in the US, op: we than 120 aircraft in 18, states, Metio is a certified airframe modification, maintenance inspection and repair ce a well asa certified engine inspection, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service center. The Metro Aviation completion cen installs air medical, utile, conporate and law enforcement Jkt, components and avionics packages for most Airbus Helicopters, Metro built the Helicopter Plight Training Center to provide a ce Metro Aviation and stalized training resource center for 3s customers, afiliates and the helicopter flight easing HMM — Whar courses are offe ae thie time?Palmer ~The trsining center is continual rowing and adding opportunities, We have a dedicated high tech mainfenance classroom with workbenches, tools and equipment for ining, Turbomeca and Pratt & Whitney ae using our fcility for their factory courses. We alo hay sn EC135 Full Motion Level D sinmulator and an AS3. Level 7 Fight Training Device (FTD), available for pilot maintenance traning, Simulators are dry leased to opé throughout the inducty. The Trainin used by industry experts vo provide a training environment specific to he operations, HMM - 1fs Torbomeca course is taught at your center, is it any diferent from the same courte taught a Turbo! Palmer — Courses a the Helicopter Flight Taining ct ate the same cours offre by Turbomecs in other locations, The Aviation company) i training, Turbomeca clicopter Fight Training Center (x Metro authorized location for Turborn: 3 are provided on a quarter) schedule. The Turbomeca listed on Turbomeca'* secbsite asthe Shreveport location, Tarbomeca Pratt & Whitney clases are also of schedivle and are taught by Prate & Whitney authorized instructors under license with Flight Safety International fety provides all cousse materials and equipment. Metro Aviation provides acc edon ag ‘verbal shop and fight simal sment the courses, HMM ~ 1; there a cost to the students #0 use the training Palmer — Ac this ime there is no cost for the we of the training center and course fees are paid to the course provider. There is an option for Metro Aviation customers to build the cost of training into their completion contract. = ‘acromaritime — The Local Team You Know The Global Support You Need cerue ‘The actual costs for the Turbomeca training are specified by Turbomeca and costs for the Pratt & Whitney training are specified by FlighSafery HMM ~ Do you help the prospective eudents with ailin hotel andl car reservations Palmer at local hotels to include ground transportation to and fron ‘The training center has negotiated special rates the airport and taining cencer. HMM — w the taining environment, and can you OEMS are currently working with you in us who else you ace taking to? Palmer — We are curcently making the taining ce OEMs for 3 equipment training. As the training center continues to grow, available to oth more options will become avilable HMM - Why should an A&eP mechanic center for training? Palme (OEM training. Companies that are purchasing sirerit and This san alternate location for existing completions from Metra will ind the faci for their personnel, All students will have access to Metro’ and simulators that are not offered anywhe HMM - Are there maintenance simulators for the ssudent facilis eke. Palmer — As » hhave access to the tight simulators at well asthe compones ‘overhaul shop, Avionics simulation will be added within the next yeut HMM — Are the courses offered recognized for IA renews Palmer ~The current courses are recognized as OEM. factory trsining, Additional offerings will be added in the near furure that will include [A renewal and human factors HMM — Cn you share your growth vision for che taining Palmer —The trxining center was crested to address the needs ofthe industry and as such, i living, evolving project. We will continue to build our programs based om the industry trends, We have room for two additional simulators a8 well as more training opportu maintenance courses on the following: Pract & Whicney 206/207 Engines ‘Turbomecs Level | Arriel 28/2B1/2D Engines Turbomeca Level 1 Arriel One Engine input of our customers as well ies. The sky is truly the limit, urtently offer More information is avilable on our website a: wor. Now you have three great reasons to visit Louisiana food, Masdi Gras and Metro Aviation’ helicopter fightContinued fom page 4 ‘The questionnaire consisted of 23 questions that asked questions i ‘What isthe atractiveness ofa carer asa helicopter How visible to young people isa carer path to become + maintenance profesional? ‘What career opportanities do you see in the future? motivating factors for choosing a career 38 2 tenance professional? = What are th helicopter mai hat docs a job as a helicopter maintenance professional = Do you see a greater or lewer need for apprenticeship program? = Do you see a need to create an international organization dedicated to the helicopter maintenance fessional? If yes, would you wane to become a member? ner 24% Ease F090 28.0% arcade ast 459% Dr 10.7% Fig 2: CoumresReprecented Countries Represented Considering the short time frame during which the survey was response was good. There we om 6: countries, The 2.This 456 respondes breakdown is shown in Fi truly was a global response Survey Question — Company Size and Number of Helicopters Respondents companies are representative of the helicopter world in general. The majorities (39 percent) have les than 49 employees, Within the "No Response” category (46.4 percent), we have many’ respondents who are part of an OFM or MRO organization, Within the remaining groups, 26.2 percent have Jess than nine helicopters in operation and 11 percent ae part of the “big” operators (more than 50 helicopter) in operation. MACHIDA VERTICAL VIEWPOINT (| oe thn S00 — 22% 5 Less han «0 30% 0.0490 42% F sto 140 26% ig 3: Company Size No Rsponea ~ SS 6R% seam — v.09 oat —~ 201049 8.0% othan 69 14.0% ig 4: Number of Helicopters Bue ad ror as Borescopes Direrestetry MAKE YOUR VISUAL INSPECTION EASIER! ST Cee Ren RR CRU mC Rad been industrial inspection leaders for over 35 years IMAGES TAKEN WITH VSC-: -140NL VIDEOSCOPES - BORESCOPES CUSTOM SCOPES - ENGINE KITS PHONE; 800-431-5420 EMAIL; [email protected] WWW.MACHIDASCOPE.COM Facebook Linked ff) cwitto 5g: FacebookWO Konoinonn Survey Question — What is the Attractiveness of a Career as a Helicopter Maintenance Professional? Students and employees views are quite different risk of unemployment, and very similar oyment” Working in aviation is sill he most attra seadents (23 percent).The second most attractive factor for asa mechanic to have no tsk of un sive factor for percent), followed by. being part ofa seam” and “responsibilty” ‘The reinforcement of communication should be based ‘mainly around these four factors. Fig. 5: Employees Bh reson [El roswoieacontios carer delonmen Ne teket vaton indstry ig 7: Students ‘Survey Question — In Calendar Year 2013 What Promotion of Becoming a Helicopter Maintenance Professional Did You See, if Any? Here ate some he more thought-provoking comments There is no such thing asa fee lunch "You have to speculate to accumulate + You don't got something for nothing” This means that this cateer path only has limited exposure and ie not visible forthe general public. You have to know someone in the busines to stand any chance of finding out shout it ‘The aeronautical sector and the particular want to make the use ofthis type of transport more accessible, In general, we mainly hear about helicopters 5. and we hear nothing abot the work of helicopter maintenance profesional, in relation to accidents or w The USA is currently the counsry where thete ems to be the most promotion of seronauticl job. Europe, Asis, Africa and the Middle East have poor promotional attitudes ‘Survey Question — What Do You Think is the Future for Helicopter Maintenance Professionals? This result is one of Uae most significant ofthe survey ‘The employee population is divided into two mindsets: cone is positive regarding che furure of the job (60 percent) ‘whereas the other has big doubts and thinks thatthe job is going to disappear (40 percent). We should consider that the doubts of active mechanics could be linked to factors such as confidence, consideration and care visibly There is no doubt the industry should increase the standing of ths career! 1 to be taken quickly: Twelve percent ofthe student population has doubts regarding the funare ofthe job. Making this job attractive means firstly ‘What’ more, action increasing the stisfction of the helicops professionals currently performing the job! [As for the unemployed who are looking fora job, their views ofthe career an pletely postive! ‘Survey Question — What Do You Consider to be Motivations for Choosing a Career as a Helicopter Maintenance Professional? + bath employees and the unemployed, the most important factor for choosing a cateer as a helicopcer maintenance profesional is beeasse “they both talk positively about the job" Career development is the second-most- Important fictor for them, bu it's the most important factor for studentsFig 8 ples Fig 9: Students ig. 10: Unemployed [er ens ct (G00 conto fr ‘ony on VERTICAL VIEWPOINT {| ‘Survey Question — What Does a Job as a Helicopter Maintenance Professional Offer? For an employee, being 2 helicopter maintenance professional represents firs“ good potential for salary increases," followed by “faster career development” ‘These two factors are equally important for students, while 37 percent of the respondents didn't really know. For unemployed respondents, the major factor is" good potential for sslary ineresses” "rom the responses generated, we can conclude that job a2 helicopter maintenance profisional is staciated with good wages nd good opportunites for fier career development Ssporoncnd mocance tte postal about te ob Much formation sara bl ou! cree Boing a hsioptr char ‘ren 8 ao wing ‘Ter ro mary cro eraoamart opperuntes Tra covsrie wal proms, see HeineWO Konoinonn og TB ssarcie 210500 = a [Bb ser srerce 2,000 [Bsc nro ‘eps 120,700 os. 19,100 ca 15,200 Fig 13; Unemployed Total 601,000 Fig 17: Boeing Source: 2012 Pilot © Tehniian Outlook Report ‘Survey Question — Is there a greater or a lesser need for apprenticeship programs for recent A&P/ AME school graduates? he rests for students and 1¢ unemployed are consi with the results concerning how they feel about che future for licopter maintenance pro he resuls for employees are not consistent with how they peer maintenance profesional. Eighty percent think there will be a greater need for apprenticeship programs for A&P/AMEs, in comparison with 40 percent who think chat the job is going to disappear, What isthe real message? It could be: "We are confident that there Doren 1% Premyee 40% Cerin that he jo wil ot disappear We love this jo ut the trend of doing more with fewer qualified personnel alarms tus. We chose it because we like mechanics and we don't bolieve that the introduction of new technologies will make ir more attactive” (Only 16 percent of employees chose this response) In Fat the transformation ofthe nature of the jab is scaring mechanics (becoming electronic data management experts), losing the heart of their initial motivation: to be = helicopter mechanic! so yors 45% (On the other hand, contract workers seem to be more open ‘minded about the future for mechanics with the introduction no serious hypothesis to explain this paradox, except perhaps that contract workers want to protect thet jobs andi there tonne EDM 25s than 5 16% are fewer apprentices, they will have more jobs available in the market, % Larger__Lessar__thaveno opinion Employees 0 15 A Students 19 25 Unemployed 743 ° Independent ° n 29 others ee a Foto 10 10% Fig 18 1of2020% Opiaion: “With the responsibilities of aviation mechanics being some ig. 16: Projected Retirement of Mechanics in Years) ‘of the highest in the world, why would anys the job other than for the love of 2" about the faure of he Fig 14: Students want to doBY HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL March 2-5 © Orlando Exhibits Open March 3-5 rece uaa tee > eked Penn eC Rea) suppliers, customers, and other industry professionals, making these business relationships Dee Ur Rca Ce eu BLE) olice Dre een Ue Se ey ieee 20,000 aviation professionals 700+ competitive exhibitors 60+ helicopters on display 100+ education opportunities 1 million sq. ft. of meeting and exhibit space 4 days of networking Register by Jan. 16 and Save $$! heliexpo.rotor.orgWO Konoionn Helicopter Maintenance & Completions idem Trot Praag one Cie Sl Dn eeu res ET Er ener cess able. Keeping your helicopter ern ary standards Se eee 608.758.1701 sire tener cea ‘Survey Question — What are Your Thoughts on Creating an International Association Specifically for the Helicopter Maintenance Professional (Ofall the questions in the survey this gave us the most cause for co did not want the respondents to fel obligated about this, mor did we ak this with the inent of creating another politcally-motivated body Rath is question led us to see if the thought proces for was agreement by the respondents th a need to improve the quality of helicoper-specifi fly allow us to work wid raining across the board. This would ho; 8 country’s regulatory ageney to impleme ilitte an AKP/AME to more universally mes requirements and not worry about where they would be employed geographically. is alteady the case for international commercial carrier fight crew, s0 why notin this concept, and ultimately bette maintenance also? in favor of this proposal were 82 percent ofall respondents. This means that they think @ ational job asociation will allow the job and the training program to be better managed and more structured across international boundarie Only 39 pe members bug, if we tak cent ofall eategories of respondents would definitely lke to b yly the “Employees” ‘This means that thore are 4 lot of expectations and, perhaps lot of frustrations \We can conclude that through this international asociation dedicated solely to ASPs/ AMES, that they expect 10 be consideration, gory, this figure rises to 74 percent. ard andl have theit opinions ken into Don't know 10% ais No 8% Fig 19: Create an Intrnationsl Ass Progra Resognized Intemational Overall Conclusions formed online from March to June 2014 using anonymous {questionnaires It was primarily promoted by HAI, EHA snd Safran Terkomecs There were 456 responde This survey was s om 64 different countries the majority of whom West.” 185 percent of respondents were employees = 65 percent of these employees were helicopter main 20 percent were managers (68.1 percent) were from nce profesional. We can therefore consider that the survey is representative of helicopter maineenance professional’ opinions (One of the conclusions of the survey is that “helicopter maintenance professionals like mechanical work and feel responsible and proud of the job they are doing” “However, they (40 percent) have doubts about the future of the jab, and they fe worried about some upcoming changes,How is industry managing the changes? How are operators covering needs today? A its facing @ the accident sallenge of improving helicopter safety tio of fixed-wing aircraft is lower than that of rotary-wing aircrafi) the industry is innovating technology and associated services to make fleet operations safer and more reliable Helicopter maintenance profesionals are therefore developing new skills using computers and sofeware, but are roving away from using applied thought co solve problems Current training programs do not differentiate Between two categories of training needs, which we can summarize as: = Having a standard cet of skis for aeronautical procedures (basic mechanic) = Having a standard cet of cil plus mechanical taining ‘cluding electronic and digital training). and capable of reuurning a maintenance profesional) i licopter to service (expert helicopter we were to dif this could have two consequences: Fitst:The shortage of helicopter mechanics could be partially solved Second: If helicopter mechanics have a higher level of recognition and ssfety improve can be expected From the answers received from the sur pit appears tht the overwhelming majority i in favor of creating some form of international association for helicopter maintenance professionals This asociation shoul be designed to work with other international associations and not be in competition, with thers. The subject of ereating an international aeociation is being discussed a8 you read this article, and “sion on this will likely be n sometime in erly 201 This allows hy persons in the decision process to ‘hink through sll sha the association should be and how it will be organized In closing, here ae six thoughts I propose to be the core of the 2015 symposia Expo 2015; 1.What can we do as an industry in Orlando, FL, at Heli- to better promote and entice those who might be considering, professional? 2.What can we do a6 an industry to promote the fature ofthe helicopter maintenance professional 3. What can the helicopter industry do co become more competitive aginst other industries that want to hire ASP/AME professional? VERTICAL VIEWPOINT (| 4.What can we do to create more apprentice programs that are a win forall involved? What can lobal trining/ qualifications so that these qu are mare easly accepted by all regulatory a 6.What b international association specifically for efits do you se ‘f any, to ereating an helicopter We ho} row that there is calize I shoreage of helicopter maintenance professionals on a global sale. We believe that to start to fix 4 problem, we must initially accurately descemine what the problem is. We also believe that we, the helicopter industry ‘worldwide, are in the best postion to help ourselves, Ifyou can think of any othe e tha i you did not realize it before, that you sues covered in the survey that we did ‘not mention a atopic for the 2015 symposiuna, please send ‘Spolak(@licoptermaintenancemagazin with your suggestions. Remember if you would like to see this please go to either the HMM or Safran Turbomeca Web sites, 4 article in its ent helicoptermsintenancemsgazine.com ssfranturhomecs.com We hope to see you in Orlando in 2015, ey eee Doeraea era Mey Berea