Rotorcraft
BLR tailboom strakes draw fire from Bell
Bell Helicopter recently issued new information letters expressing concern about BLR Aerospace tailboom strakes.

Bell Helicopter recently issued new information letters expressing concern about BLR Aerospace tailboom strakes. Bell issued a similar letter in 1995 when BLR obtained certification for use of tailboom strakes on Bell’s line of medium helicopters. The recent letters warn Bell 206 operators that “the monocoque tailboom structure of the 206A/B and 206L series helicopters was not engineered to accommodate the attachment of extraneous items like strakes, nor for the additional loads these strakes may impose on the structure.”

The FAA granted BLR a supplemental type certificate for dual tailboom strakes for the Bell 206 JetRanger on February 8 and amended it on June 30 to add the 206L LongRanger.

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