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ow does Robinson Helicopter

Company (RHC) ensure itshelicopters are maintainedthe Robinson Way? Provide aschool, of course at the Torrance,

CA, airport (KTOA). I attended the RHCmaintenance course last November.

The week-long course covers maintenanceon all three RHC airframes the piston-pow-ered two-place R22 and four-place R44, andthe turbine-powered five-place R66. Classesstarted each day at 8 a.m. sharp and run past5 p.m. most days, so dont plan on catching a

Friday afternoon flight home.These classes fill quickly so plan ahead.

Each day students spent about half their

time in the classroom and the other halftwisting wrenches, torquing nuts, measur-ing bolt stretch, and learning how to worktheir way though RHC specific tasks. Theseincluded adjusting coning friction and teeter(flapping) friction; checking and adjusting

belt tension actuator; learning the methodsand using tools used to check the clutch shaftangle and upper and lower sheave alignment;and adjusting track and balance of the mainand tail rotors and balance the fan wheel.

The class was not dry; it was chock-full

of real life maintenance shorts cuts and tips.Each of the 11 attendees was handed a classstudy book. Every morning they were given atest with questions based on their homeworkreading and class notes.

For instance, what part number lubricantdoes the free wheeling unit (sprag clutch)use? That question, as many other on thetests were designed to familiarize both newand experienced RHC techs with the RHCmaintenance manual and illustrated partscatalog (IPC). The sound of turning pages

rippled through the classroom during thesetests.

Instructor Efrain Vargas led the classes.He is an experienced Robinson techni-cian and teacher. He started at RHC in 1986and worked alongside RHC founder FrankRobinson during R&D for the R44, the compa-nys second airframe. In addition to his yearsworking at RHC, Vargas owns a Robinsondealership in Mexico and has directed main-tenance on RHC helos operating off shore inthe tuna fishing fleet. Besides his RHC duties,

Vargas travels the world teaching Robinsonairframe maintenance classes.

By Steven Ells

H

Maintenance TrainingThe Robinson WayA week-long course in helicopter maintenance training

Students Kadir and Moseley inspecting an R22 flexplate.

All phhotos by Steven Ells.

Steven Ells hasan A&P with

IA. Based onthe Californiacoast, he can be

reached at www.EllsAviation.com.

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Day oneRHC unlocks the classroom door at 7:45 each day.

International attendees included an Army sergeantfrom Estonia, a civil aviation maintenance inspectorfrom Bangladesh, an experienced helicopter technician

from the Philippine Islands, and a (female) aviationmaintenance apprentice from an air tour company inChina. Other attendees included experienced airframeand powerplant (A&P) helicopter technicians; one whosaid he was from Tennessee but temporarily trans-planted in Florida; two from Texas; one from Alaska,one from Oregon; and one who got an early retirementafter working on Apaches and Black Hawk helos in theArmy.

This one, Eric Norman, worked in the Titusville,FL, training base for Bristow Academy. He was beingprepped to take over maintenance management of

Bristows growing f leet of Robinson helos. LawrenceHromek, a Texan, was attending to fulfill one of therequirements to become a RHC Service Center. Thatrequired that he also attend the Lycoming pistonengine maintenance and the Rolls-Royce turbinepowerplant schools.

After introductions we went on a factory tour.Throughout the course Vargas dispensed tips and hintsfor RHC helo maintenance such as, Wash your helo ona daily basis. He defined clean by saying, If you dontdare lick it, it aint clean enough. Other tips included,Rebalance after all maintenance, and If theres no

instruction for a repair in the manual, call the factory.Vargas also advised the class to always get a compo-

nent return authorization (CRA) before sending any-thing to the factory, and then said, If you want creditfor the returned parts, clean them up and treat surfacecorrosion before shipping.

Heres another one: shake the tail skid to check forloose bolts and elongated bolt holes at the forward

inboard leg of the R22 welded frame. Its a commongripe.

The manualsVargas told the class that just because a part is not

shown in the part book does not mean you cant buy it.The message that was often repeated was to alwaysread instructions completely beforebeginning a task.And always call the factory customer support peoplewhen unsure of the procedural steps or at any othertime theres a question.

We were also told that the RHC IPC was not a main-tenance reference book; and to always refer to the main-tenance manual.

The bladesMain rotor blades were also discussed in some

depth. Vargas said its possible to install a R44 blade ona R66 so make sure that both main rotor blades are thecorrect (and same) part number.

Older blades had a stainless-steel spar/leading edge;newer parts are aluminum. The bond between theskin and the spar is critical. Airworthiness directive(AD) 2011-12-10 requires a daily preflight inspectionfor exposed (bare metal) of the spar-to-skin joint areaon the lower surface of some main rotor blades. Thisinspection can be signed off by the pilot. RHC providedeach class member with a maintenance record appendixfor the AD. The kit to aid technicians outline the area

required by this inspection is available from RHC.We were shown how to detect hard landings by mea-

suring the distance from the floor to the tailskid on eachmodel.

Shop timeBeginning the second day of class we met in the

shop area after lunch. There, each team the class wasdivided into three teams worked its way through thefollowing tasks on the main rotor assembly: removaland replacement of the hub bearings; swashplate tilt-ing friction adjustment; and teeter friction and coning

friction adjustments. Each team had a MR assembly towork on.

After that the following tasks on the drive train wereworked through: upper and lower V-belt sheave align-ment there are four possible adjustments on the R22and three on the R44. Others tasks included engineheight adjustment; clutch shaft angle measurement andV-belt actuator adjustment time.

Through the weekPowerplant service information such as Lycoming

engine service bulletin SB388C Procedure to

Determine Exhaust Valve and Guide Condition wasbriefly discussed. Each class study book included

Students Norman, Lill, and Brown learn a main rotor mastmaintenance task.

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reprints of applicable serviceinformation on engines and acces-sories. Lycoming and Rolls-Royceservice class information is listedon the RHC web site under theCourses tab.

Other hands-on shop tasksincluded the tail rotor drive shaftrun out check, a check of the tailrotor static balance; fan wheelremove and replace (R&R) and

lubrication of the lower bear-ing; blade boot R&R includingservicing; and a throttle correla-tion check. Even though the classstayed busy, shop talk pokes suchas, If you got time to lean, yougot time to clean, were heardfrom time to time.

Costs of educationRobinson classes are already

full into the second half of 2013.Vargas and CEO Kurt Robinsonsay theres been talk of addingadditional courses in 2013. RHCclasses are a bargain at $550.

Every month in 2013, Lycomingoffers its four-day Engine ServiceSchool in Williamsport, PA; cost$725. Lycoming also has a three-day disassembly/assembly class scheduled immediately following

the Service school priced at$700.

The Rolls-Royce powerplantmaintenance schools for the RR300are conducted in Indianapolis, IN.The five-day course costs $2,000.Shops that opt to become Rolls-Royce service centers must attenda seven-day course costing $2,800.

RHC lists a variety of nearbyaccommodations on its web

site; the Ramada Torrance has aspecial rate for RHC attendeesthat includes a (carbo-rich)

breakfast. There are a wide varietyof restaurants within walking

distance.The Torrance airport is located11 miles south of Los AngelesInternational (LAX).

Eric Norman, who came tothe civil helo world from the U.S.Army, told me that he used to hateRobinson helicopters when he firststarted working on them.

Everything was small andsome things were hard to get to,he said. Now I love them because

once you know one you knowthem all.Norman attended the RHC class

because his employer BristowAcademy was increasing thesize of its Robinson fleet.

RHC has produced more than10,000 helicopters since that firstR22 was approved on March16, 1979. Production numberswere quoted at nine per week inNovember 2012. There are more

than 300 back orders for the R66.Two-thirds of RHC helicopters areshipped overseas.

For less than $1,000 forlodging, meals, and tuition, theRHC education is a bargain. Notonly do attendees learn TheRobinson Way, they graduatewith the assurance that Robinson-proficient technicians are neededthroughout the world. AMT

Robinson Helicopter maintenance students in the blade and hub learning area.

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