Composite rotor blade manufacturer Van Horn Aviation (VHA) recently signed an offer to purchase on a 23,000+ sq. ft. facility in Tempe, Ariz., significantly expanding the company’s available manufacturing space compared to its current location. According to VHA president James R. Van Horn, the expansion is required to accommodate current and future rotor blade programs.

“With in-house manufacturing of the 206 and UH-1 tail rotor blades while also designing and prototyping composite main rotor blades, we’ve outgrown our current leased facility,” said Van Horn. “Over the past six months VHA has added staff and equipment to meet increased demands for our tail rotor blades, plus we obtained a 25-foot autoclave to accommodate main rotor blades. We’re already out of room and must be established in the new facility before we start main rotor blade production next year.”

VHA’s current facility houses three machining centers, an automated fabric cutter, water jet, clean room, paint booth, inspection center, autoclave, industrial oven, and assorted design and test equipment. The new facility will allow VHA to run simultaneous tail and main rotor blade production lines while continuously developing new products.

“Our goal is to accomplish the move this summer with minimal impact to the tail rotor blade production schedules while also moving forward with main rotor blade flight and fatigue testing,” said VHA general manager Dean Rosenlof. “We have a long list of blade programs we intend to tackle over the next ten years, and this new facility will provide a good launch pad for new developments far into the future.”

About Van Horn Aviation
Based in Tempe, Ariz., Van Horn Aviation specializes in the design, certification and manufacturing of aftermarket dynamic components for various rotorcraft. Its current products include a composite tail rotor blade certified for the Bell 206B3, 206L series and OH-58, and an aftermarket carbon fiber tail rotor blade for various models of the UH-1.