CASA has issued a supplemental type certificate (STC) and Australian Parts Manufacture Approval (APMA) for composite tail rotor blades manufactured by Airwork Helicopters in Queensland.
The approvals come after four years of development work and apply to tail rotors on Bell 206 helicopters.
Airwork founder and CEO Myles Tomkins said his factory at Caboolture Airport has already started producing Kevlar and carbon fibre blades, which offer a 30% cost advantage with twice the life over the standard Bell 206 tail rotor blades.
The blades are thought to offer a higher margin of safety due to increased strength and higher thrust for an equivalent power setting.
Tomkins said his composite tail rotor blades are approved for Bell 206 A and B models with the L model to come.
Airwork is currently negotiating with a large American parts distributor who will take on the worldwide sales and distribution, marketing to the operators of over 6000 Bell 206 series helicopters around the world.