Robinson Helicopter Company has eliminated the overhaul exchange option for main rotor blades for its R22, R44, and R66 helicopters. This change accompanies mid-year price adjustments effective from July 2, 2024. The overhaul exchange option previously provided operators with a more affordable blade replacement alternative and was included in the 2000/2200-hour field overhaul kits.
The company attributes this decision to the rigorous core inspection process, with Customer Support Supervisor Frank Nieto stating that 95% of the returned core blades failed the intake inspection or were otherwise unusable. The significant labor hours spent assessing unusable blades further influenced the decision to discontinue the overhaul exchange option.
Robinson has traditionally advised customers to “chop” their core main rotor blades for easier shipment back to the factory. At the factory, the Robinson repair station would perform the final disassembly of the Pitch Horn Assembly for inspection. If the Pitch Horn Assembly met quality control standards, it would be mated to a completely new blade section and spindle assembly to create an overhauled blade. However, Robinson increasingly substituted a newly manufactured blade assembly at no additional cost to the customer.Nieto stated that customers purchasing main rotor blades in one of Robinson Helicopter Company’s popular field overhaul kits will now receive a $1000 rebate, similar to the rebate given to customers who return core tail rotor assemblies. For customers who previously purchased standalone sets of overhauled main rotor blades, they will receive $1800 or the minimum core value for their submitted cores.
Current pricing as of July 2nd, 2024 for main rotor blade assemblies are as followers:
- A005-14.CS Blade and Spindle Assy., Balanced Set (R622) $44,500
- C005-12.CS Blade and Spindle Assy., Balanced Set (R44) $63,000
- C005-13.CS Blade and Spindle Assy., Balanced Set (R66) $66,000
