Photo: Russian Helicopters
Kazan Aircraft Factory has obtained the approval from the Federal Air Transport Agency for the increase in the Ansat skid landing gear life. The number of allowable landings without landing gear replacement has tripled and reached 12,000. This will make the helicopter operation easier and reduce the maintenance service cost.
The certificate was issued after a test series of three landing gear specimens. The test fully simulated the helicopter landing gear load during landing. The test covered not only the landing gear, but also the mounting hardware between the landing gear and fuselage structure. The mounting hardware life has been also extended.
Skid landing gear features easy and user-friendly operation compared with traditional wheeled configurations. It does not require any sophisticated maintenance and repair tools with in-service technical assessment performed using the available visual inspection methods. However, despite its simplicity, the skid landing gear needs thorough parametrization at the design stage because this is essential for takeoff and landing safety.
It should be pointed out that earlier the life of the Ansat tail boom and PTFE hoses used in hydraulic and fuel systems, engine and main rotor transmission lube oil systems has doubled from 4,000 to 8,000 hours. Their life has increased from 1,000 to 3,000 hours.
The Ansat is a commercially available light two-engine utility helicopter produced by Kazan Aircraft Factory. The rotorcraft design allows quick transformation into either cargo or passenger version. The helicopter has the most spacious passenger cabin in its class and can carry up to seven people.
