For Robinson Helicopter, switching from aluminum to stainless-steel skin for main rotor blades has been “a mixed bag,” said company vice president Kurt Robinson, who defended the move on the grounds that the change means lighter and stronger blades with better corrosion resistance. But critics argue that the stainless skins do not hold paint well and that the switch from aluminum
to stainless precipitated the 2007 Robinson Service Bulletins concerning main rotor blade delamination.
Robinson made the switch from aluminum skin to stainless initially on the R44, certified in 1992. These “Dash 4” blades were then sized for R22s and made available for retrofit for operators willing to exchange their Dash 2 blades.
Kurt Robinson said the company achieved its goal of minimizing weight and susceptibility to corrosion but has experienced some unintended consequences. “You get less corrosion, but where you do get it, it is intensified,” he said.
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