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Rotor blade manufacturer Van Horn Aviation (VHA) recently received supplemental type certificates (STC) from the aviation regulatory authorities of both Canada and Brazil for its 206L series composite main rotor blade. The authorities issued the STC validations after reviewing the documents associated with FAA STC SR02684LA issued on Aug. 16, 2018, for the same product.
Transport Canada issued STC SH18-69 on Dec. 3, 2018, applying to 206L, 206L-1, 206L-3, and 206L-4 aircraft in Canada.
The Agencia Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) issued STC 2018S11-11 on Nov. 29, 2018, applying to 206L-1, 206L-3, and 206L-4 aircraft in Brazil.
“We’ve had orders from several Canadian 206L operators since the FAA STC was announced in August,” said VHA president Dean Rosenlof. “We’re pleased that both Transport Canada and ANAC were able to validate the FAA STC within a few months so we could get the product to our customers in these countries.”
The VHA 206L main rotor blade features corrosion and damage-resistant carbon fiber skin, titanium root grip plates, foam core, and electroformed nickel and stainless steel abrasion strips along its entire leading edge. Its NASA-designed laminar flow airfoil allows air to move more efficiently over the blade; operators have already reported speed increases of one to three knots when flying over the same routes using VHA blades over the OEM blades.
“Our 206L main rotor blades offer performance and fiscal improvements over the OEM blades, at nearly the same initial acquisition cost,” said Rosenlof. “Our goal is to help operators keep flying this venerable workhorse for years to come, and we believe we’ve achieved that with the 206L main rotor blade.”
