Van Horn trumpeting composite blades
Van Horn Aviation (VHA) is showing a prototype of its new composite tail-rotor blade for Bell 206-series helicopters at its Heli-Expo’08 booth (No.

Van Horn Aviation (VHA) is showing a prototype of its new composite tail-rotor blade for Bell 206-series helicopters at its Heli-Expo’08 booth (No. 3307).

VHA modeled the 206 tail-rotor blade after its FAA-approved Bell UH-1H tail-rotor blade and incorporated a new high-efficiency airfoil, carbon-fiber skin and titanium root fitting and abrasion strip. The improved blade for the 206 should allow a life-limit of 3,000 hours, according to VHA, which is 500 hours more than the original blade from Bell. VHA’s tail-rotor blades are now FAA-approved for seven UH-1H models and have a 2,400-hour life-limit, double the original blade’s life.