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02-07-2006, 01:58 PM
QUOTE
Posted 02/06/06 10:48
Canada Strives To Fix Cormorant’s Tail Cracks
By DAVID PUGLIESE, VICTORIA, British Columbia
AgustaWestland hopes in coming months to solve the tail rotor and logistics problems that have reduced the availability of the Canadian Air Force’s search-and-rescue helicopters and resulted in restrictions on some operations.
Cracks of varying severity have occurred in all 15 of Canada’s Cormorant helicopters, a variant of the EH101. At the same time, higher-than-predicted failure rates of several components on the aircraft, combined with the long lead time to procure new parts, has helped reduce the number of helicopters available for training and missions.
Air Force officials announced last September that the service would deal with the tail-rotor cracks by limiting training flights to two hours and restricting top speed and rate of climb. AgustaWestland and Air Force officials said the restrictions do not hinder search-and-rescue operations.
The Air Force also suspended Cormorant operations at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, near Toronto, substituting its Griffon helicopter in the search-and-rescue role. It has sent the Cormorants from Trenton to bolster the flight line at other bases along the country’s coasts, where search-and-rescue operations are more demanding.
Jeremy Tracy, chief test pilot and director of operations for Team Cormorant, the Canadian arm of AgustaWestland, said the company is close to a solution. It is recommending that particular parts in the tail-rotor section be inspected or replaced at a more regular basis. At the same time, it is working on different coatings that can be applied to some of the parts to reduce wear.
“We’re hoping to have the fix later in the year,” Tracy said. “The company has carried out hundreds of flight hours and literally thousands of hours of tests and computer analysis to understand it as much as we have.”
Other militaries operating the EH101 have been experiencing similar cracks, he said. Eight customers fly the EH101, including the air forces of the United Kingdom, Portugal and Denmark, the navies of Italy and the United Kingdom, as well as Japan’s Self Defense Force. A new variant has been ordered by the United States for use by the president.
Manufacturing changes are intended to prevent such cracks in future EH101s, so the presidential aircraft should not be afflicted, AgustaWestland officials said.
Damaging Vibrations
Canadian Air Force Maj. Alain Robichaud, weapon systems manager for the Cormorant CH-149, said that while the cause of the cracks hasn’t been determined, “everything leads to a vibration phenomena.”
The cracks, in the tail-rotor half hubs, started appearing shortly after the CH-149 fleet was declared fully operational by Canada in September 2004. The tail-rotor half hubs connect the tail-rotor blades to the tail-rotor driveshaft. Last July, newly manufactured half hubs — developed by AgustaWestland to improve overall quality — were installed on six CH-149s, but by the next month cracking was discovered once again on three of those aircraft.
According to a Sept. 28 Canadian Forces report, “the number of CH-149 Cormorant aircraft available for [search-and-rescue] proficiency and occupational training has decreased below an acceptable level.”
The six-page report, “Suspension of CH-149 Cormorant Operations at (Canadian Forces Base) Trenton,” was obtained by Defense News.
Robichaud said the Air Force will be doing more inspections of the affected tail rotor area.
“We’re working towards introducing vibration monitoring equipment that would be able to alert the air crew of any abnormal vibration they might encounter during flight,” he said.
Canada is the only EH101 user that has put restrictions on the aircraft.
The problems with the tail rotors, and a higher-than-expected failure rate in other components, have also contributed to a lack of spare parts for the Cormorants, Robichaud said. There also have been problems with supply of those parts, he added.
Tracy said AgustaWestland has made several changes to deal with the spare parts issue.
“We’ve already moved some 300-plus items into a depot in Halifax just to speed up the times,” he said. It has also identified the priority spares and put into place a guaranteed turnaround time on parts. Tracy said it will take some time for the parts issue to work itself out, but similar changes have also been made for other EH101 customers.
“I think everybody has faced similar difficulties and they’ve all had to be addressed in similar ways,” Tracy said. “Most customers now have guaranteed repair and overhaul turnaround times.”
Robichaud said it is not uncommon for new aircraft entering service to have problems, but he acknowledged the ongoing issues affecting the Cormorant have been frustrating.
“We are making progressive effort forward to get over this situation,” he added. •
QUOTE
Posted 02/06/06 10:48
Canada Strives To Fix Cormorant’s Tail Cracks
By DAVID PUGLIESE, VICTORIA, British Columbia
AgustaWestland hopes in coming months to solve the tail rotor and logistics problems that have reduced the availability of the Canadian Air Force’s search-and-rescue helicopters and resulted in restrictions on some operations.
Cracks of varying severity have occurred in all 15 of Canada’s Cormorant helicopters, a variant of the EH101. At the same time, higher-than-predicted failure rates of several components on the aircraft, combined with the long lead time to procure new parts, has helped reduce the number of helicopters available for training and missions.
Air Force officials announced last September that the service would deal with the tail-rotor cracks by limiting training flights to two hours and restricting top speed and rate of climb. AgustaWestland and Air Force officials said the restrictions do not hinder search-and-rescue operations.
The Air Force also suspended Cormorant operations at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, near Toronto, substituting its Griffon helicopter in the search-and-rescue role. It has sent the Cormorants from Trenton to bolster the flight line at other bases along the country’s coasts, where search-and-rescue operations are more demanding.
Jeremy Tracy, chief test pilot and director of operations for Team Cormorant, the Canadian arm of AgustaWestland, said the company is close to a solution. It is recommending that particular parts in the tail-rotor section be inspected or replaced at a more regular basis. At the same time, it is working on different coatings that can be applied to some of the parts to reduce wear.
“We’re hoping to have the fix later in the year,” Tracy said. “The company has carried out hundreds of flight hours and literally thousands of hours of tests and computer analysis to understand it as much as we have.”
Other militaries operating the EH101 have been experiencing similar cracks, he said. Eight customers fly the EH101, including the air forces of the United Kingdom, Portugal and Denmark, the navies of Italy and the United Kingdom, as well as Japan’s Self Defense Force. A new variant has been ordered by the United States for use by the president.
Manufacturing changes are intended to prevent such cracks in future EH101s, so the presidential aircraft should not be afflicted, AgustaWestland officials said.
Damaging Vibrations
Canadian Air Force Maj. Alain Robichaud, weapon systems manager for the Cormorant CH-149, said that while the cause of the cracks hasn’t been determined, “everything leads to a vibration phenomena.”
The cracks, in the tail-rotor half hubs, started appearing shortly after the CH-149 fleet was declared fully operational by Canada in September 2004. The tail-rotor half hubs connect the tail-rotor blades to the tail-rotor driveshaft. Last July, newly manufactured half hubs — developed by AgustaWestland to improve overall quality — were installed on six CH-149s, but by the next month cracking was discovered once again on three of those aircraft.
According to a Sept. 28 Canadian Forces report, “the number of CH-149 Cormorant aircraft available for [search-and-rescue] proficiency and occupational training has decreased below an acceptable level.”
The six-page report, “Suspension of CH-149 Cormorant Operations at (Canadian Forces Base) Trenton,” was obtained by Defense News.
Robichaud said the Air Force will be doing more inspections of the affected tail rotor area.
“We’re working towards introducing vibration monitoring equipment that would be able to alert the air crew of any abnormal vibration they might encounter during flight,” he said.
Canada is the only EH101 user that has put restrictions on the aircraft.
The problems with the tail rotors, and a higher-than-expected failure rate in other components, have also contributed to a lack of spare parts for the Cormorants, Robichaud said. There also have been problems with supply of those parts, he added.
Tracy said AgustaWestland has made several changes to deal with the spare parts issue.
“We’ve already moved some 300-plus items into a depot in Halifax just to speed up the times,” he said. It has also identified the priority spares and put into place a guaranteed turnaround time on parts. Tracy said it will take some time for the parts issue to work itself out, but similar changes have also been made for other EH101 customers.
“I think everybody has faced similar difficulties and they’ve all had to be addressed in similar ways,” Tracy said. “Most customers now have guaranteed repair and overhaul turnaround times.”
Robichaud said it is not uncommon for new aircraft entering service to have problems, but he acknowledged the ongoing issues affecting the Cormorant have been frustrating.
“We are making progressive effort forward to get over this situation,” he added. •
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