Kazan Helicopter Plant has received Rosaviation approval to increase the life of the Ansat helicopter’s skid landing gear. The number of allowable landings without landing gear replacement has tripled to 12,000. This will simplify helicopter operation and reduce maintenance costs, according to the press service of Russian Helicopters.
During the initial certification of the Ansat, a life of 4,000 landings was set for the landing gear. Helicopters of some operators have already reached this operating time or are close to the threshold. To simplify maintenance of the equipment, the design and development bureau of the Helicopter Plant carried out certification work.
Certification was obtained from a series of fatigue tests on three chassis samples. Testing fully simulated the load acting on the helicopter landing gear, and reproduced the complex-stress state of the structure. Tests were subjected not only to the landing gear itself, but also the elements of its attachment to the fuselage structure, which resource was also increased.
Slat helicopter landing gear differs from the traditional wheeled schemes in its simplicity and ease of operation. It does not require complex devices for repair and maintenance, the assessment of its current technical condition in operation is carried out by accessible visual methods. At the same time, despite its simplicity, the skid landing gear requires careful selection of parameters at the design stage, since the safety during takeoff and landing depends on it.
“A threefold increase in service life saves on the replacement of structural components, which in turn ensures a reduction in the cost of a helicopter flight hour. We are systematically increasing the service life of various Ansat units and assemblies, and, of course, this work will continue,” said Anton Korolev, Deputy CEO of Russian Helicopters for Civil Aircraft Sales.
