Page Type: Service

Dynamic Balancing

helicopter

Dynamic Balance Equipment and Services

Hope Aero is an authorized distributor of the Honeywell-Chadwick Dynamic Balancing product line, formally known as Chadwick Helmuth. Our Dynamic Balancing specialists can provide on-demand balancing services that provide a “snap shot” of propeller / rotor balance conditions.  Our “snap shot” readings allow for immediate, actionable maintenance to be preformed to improve balance and performance.

Dynamic Balancing is the process of fine-tuning the precise balance of aircraft propellers, turbofans and helicopter rotor systems to achieve the smoothest possible operation.

For passengers and aircrew, dynamic balancing has the immediate benefit of providing a smoother, quieter experience by reducing noise and vibration transmitted through the aircraft into the cabin.

For aircraft owners and maintenance departments, well-balanced propellers and rotors can extend part life. The cost savings that result from reduced component wear, coupled with a more enjoyable cabin environment for passengers and crew, make dynamic balancing a valuable investment for aircraft owners and operators alike.

Carry-On-Systems

Zing Test – Vibrex 2000 Plus (Chadwick)

The Honeywell Chadwick Vibrex 2000 Plus is a digital dynamic balancer that uses modern technology to ensure fast, reliable results. It is designed to accomplish a wide range of tasks, including propeller balancing on all fixed-wing aircraft and rotor tracking and balancing on both two-blade and three-blade helicopter rotor systems.

Zing Test – Enhanced Vibrex 2000 Plus (Chadwick)

The Enhanced Vibrex 2000 Plus is the latest addition to the Vibrex 2000 product line.  The enhanced digital dynamic balancer expands on the features of the 2000 Plus.  This new balancer can be used along with the optical Fastrak blade tracker, replacing the need to manually operate the Strobex on your helicopter.  It also comes with the ability to save and recall propeller balance configurations.  The Enhanced Vibrex 2000 Plus comes in both a helicopter and Fixed-Wing Variant.  Each balancer comes with over 25 pre-programmed software applications.

Zing Test – VXP Ground-Based System (Chadwick)

The VXP is the most powerful ground-based system available for vibration-based maintenance. It performs helicopter rotor tracking and balancing, component balancing, engine analysis and complex vibration surveys with ease. The Honeywell Chadwick VXP is designed to support virtually all aircraft vibration test and balancing requirements.

Zing Test – Elite

The Honeywell Zing Test Elite is the newest addition to the renowned Zing product line of condition-based maintenance solutions. The Zing Test Elite is an easy-to-operate tool for performing helicopter rotor smoothing, engine performance checks, component balancing, vibration surveys and complex vibration component analysis. The Zing Test Elite can reduce the number of measuring and verification flights, saving the expense of numerous maintenance flights and improving the operational availability of aircraft being serviced. Aircraft spend less time in service and more time in the air, earning their keep.

On-Board Systems

On-board diagnostic equipment is permanently installed on individual aircraft to collect ongoing data during normal flight operations. On-board systems collect data continuously, without the need for technician monitoring or intervention. Data is simply downloaded to a portable DU (Display Unit – PC) after a number of flights and then analyzed by ground-based software that examines trends in the engine and components. The system also provides track and balance solutions that can be undertaken when a suitable maintenance window becomes available. This allows for early detection of potential problems before they become real problems.

Like everything we do at Hope Aero, equipping our customers with the right on-board system helps aircraft spend more time in the air and less time in maintenance, saving what is precious: both time and money.

As with carry-on systems, continual technological improvements allow us to provide our customers with a range of on-board solutions. With the largest inventory and widest range of state-of-the-art equipment, as well as the most experience in the industry, Hope Aero can provide you with the equipment and training necessary to meet your analysis needs.

Zing HUMS – VXP On-Board (Chadwick)

This lightweight on-board vibration diagnostic unit provides continuous monitoring without human intervention and with a quick data download capability (just 30 seconds) that speeds transfer of vital data and trends to ground support software. Integrated track and balance data provides the user with the most advanced track and balance solution along with expanded Smart Chart technology. Zing Ware Vib Review is an easy-to-use importing, trending and alerting software tool that can provide reports and trend information at the aircraft or at the maintenance trending office.

VMS II for Dash 8

The VMS II for the Dash 8 is a permanent on-board system that automatically collects propeller balance data during normal flight operations. Downloading this data to a portable PC provides the maintenance specialists with perfect weight-optimizing solutions using the ground-based software provided.

Wheels and Brakes

hope aero wheels

Wheels and Brakes

Founded as a propeller overhaul facility, Hope Aero has broadened its skills and expertise to include aviation wheel and brake overhaul and service – a specialty that shares many of the same processes, skills and equipment. With more than 20 years of experience across a wide range of wheel and brake manufacturers and aircraft including military and vintage aircraft, Hope Aero is now the country’s leading component overhaul specialist in this sector. Our shop can currently turn 80 wheels and brakes per day and has the capacity to increase this capacity to meet demand. We also assemble new wheels for aircraft manufacturers to support their new aircraft assembly line.

Wheels

Wheels arriving for overhaul are first thoroughly cleaned using a number of different methods. A high-pressure wheel washer is used for primary cleaning, which is often sufficient. Other components may be plastic media blasted (to clean without pitting) or cleansed using an ultrasonic bath. Non-ferrous parts are eddy current inspected (ECI) and/or liquid penetrant inspected (LPI). Ferrous parts go through magnetic particle inspection (MPI). Finished components are epoxy painted and oven-baked for added durability. Wheel build machines give precise control of the critical wheel assembly process. Small wheels are assembled on our purpose-built hydraulic wheel build machine. Large wheels are reassembled on a dedicated Bauer Howden wheel building machine that aligns components and ensures accurate torqueing of all the bolts. Torque settings are computer controlled to ensure reassembly tolerances are better than specifications. The investment in these specialty machines improves the quality of the final product and saves a lot of technician time.

The Hope Aero wheel team has experience across a wide range of manufacturers, and regularly services all sizes of wheels, from small general aviation to the venerable Hercules aircraft.

Wheel Manufacturers

Brakes

After more than 20 years repairing and overhauling brakes for the aviation industry, Hope Aero has extensive experience and hands-on expertise servicing virtually every brake type from every manufacturer, both mineral oil and Skydrol-based systems.

After being disassembled and cleaned, brake rotors are weighed and measured for minimum weight and thickness. Discs that have become warped from excessive heat are straightened as required to ensure smooth, consistent braking. Rotors are ground to remove high spots. The brake housing, torque tube, pressure plate and stationary discs are media blasted before being extensively inspected by our expert NDT inspection team. Brake housings are painted with epoxy paint and oven baked to ensure a durable protective finish.

In sub-assembly, the pressure plate, torque tube and stationary discs are re-padded, and the heat stack is checked against minimum height specs. For final assembly, the refinished housing and heat stack are reassembled and torqued to specification, and the adjusters are set, torqued and locked. All brakes are pressure checked for operation and leakage. As with everything we do at Hope Aero, we consider minimum tolerances to be merely a starting point, and we constantly strive to meet tighter specs than the minimums allowed. Finer tolerances translate directly into better performance and a better passenger experience, as well as longer TBO times.

The Hope Aero brake team has experience across a wide range of manufacturers, and regularly services all types of brakes.

Brake Manufacturers

Propellers

Propeller

Propellers

Hope Aero continues to be the country’s leading propeller systems service facility. We support the newest high tech composite propellers, military and vintage aircraft propellers. We consistently hold ourselves to higher standards and work to tighter tolerances than required by manufacturers’ specifications, and we apply our own additional requirements based on experience to the standards we meet. We set-match propeller blades for performance and reliability.

Propellers Types

Metal Propellers – Aluminum & Steel Blades

After disassembly of the propeller and the blades are removed from the hub, they are thoroughly cleaned prior to initial assessment. Ninety-five percent of blades are dimensionally inspected using the Aeroscan machine to confirm that they are within minimum dimensions (width and thickness) through the full length of the blade to confirm that there is enough material left to go through the overhaul process. A water jet machine is used to blast the lead ballast out of the balance hole. Blades are then stripped for further visual inspection and dimensional inspection of the shank and bore. Bent blades are returned to shape, and any erosion damage and corrosion is removed from the blade by sanding using our state-of-the-art system with dust collection. Blades are dimensionally checked again for minimum widths and thicknesses.

Blade Set Matching: Blades may track within each other in a set; however, due to thrust bending, most blades require correction to their face alignment to bring it back to manufacturers’ limits. Blades are twisted and straightened as required to adjust face alignment and angles to within manufacturers’ tolerances. After face alignment and angles are corrected, trailing edges are filed as required to match edge alignment. After edge alignment is matched, leading edges are filed to match as a set. This unique attention to detail during the overhaul process can add a couple of extra hours of labour to the process, but for the owner, the passengers and the aircraft itself, however, the benefit of set-matching is a noticeably smoother propeller operation and, ultimately, a better passenger & pilot experience. Blades are final processed through the Aeroscan machine for recording of final airfoil dimensions.

Hamilton Standard blade thrust washers are ground as required and magnetic-particle inspected. Blades are further inspected by optical comparator, etching, borescope inspection, liquid penetrant inspection, eddy current inspection, and ultrasonic inspection as required. Blades are cold rolled, polished, shot peened, alodined, and anodized as required before being painted. Finished blades are primed, painted, statically balanced and inspected prior to installation assembly.

Composite Blade Propellers

After disassembly of the propeller and the blades are removed from the hub blades processing begin with a thorough visual inspection and damage assessment – including an internal fibre-optic borescope inspection to determine serviceability. Protective coatings are removed as required. Fibreglass, carbon fibre and foam repairs are carried out. Delaminations are repaired using lay-up vacuum bag repair process. Leading edge heating devices and erosion protectors are replaced as required. Blades are sanded as required using our state-of-the-art system with dust collection. They are inspected by tap test, optical comparator, etching, liquid penetrant inspection, eddy current inspection, magnetic particle inspection and ultrasonic inspection as needs dictate. Blade shanks are cold rolled, shot peened and alodined as required. Finished blades are then primed, painted, statically balanced and inspected prior to installation assembly.

Hope Aero is an approved sub-contractor to Dowty Propellers for Dash 8-400 propeller blade repair services. Hope Aero’s capability and flexibility is recognized and Dowty is pleased to work with Hope Aero to offer enhanced support to Dash8-400 operators in the Canada region. For all enquiries regarding Dash 8-400 propellers, repair support and spare parts please reach out to your existing Dowty point of contact or visit www.Dowty.com/contact.

Fixed Pitch Propellers – Aluminum and Natural Composite (Wooden)

Propellers begin with a thorough visual inspection and dimensional assessment to determine serviceability. Protective coatings are removed as required. Fibreglass, carbon fibre repairs are carried out. Delaminations of wooden propellers are repaired IAW OEM accepted procedures. Blades are sanded as required using our state-of-the-art system with dust collection. They are then further inspected by tap test, etching, liquid penetrant inspection, eddy current inspection, magnetic particle inspection and ultrasonic inspection as needs dictate. Metal blades are shot peened and alodined as required. Finished propellers are then primed, painted, statically balanced and final inspected.

Propeller Manufacturers

Hope Aero is proud to have forged close relationships with the world’s leading propeller manufacturers and continues to invest in achieving the highest levels of authorized service status. These critical service relationships are dependent on initial OEM training programs as well as regular factory service meetings. We must also pass rigorous OEM quality audits of our process and facility, confirming our attention to quality and detail meets their standards as well as our own. It always does.

Below are some of our key affiliations and service status capabilities:

Propellers