To be frank Helitech 2016 has been a bit quiet – only four helicopters on display and well…there is only so much chalet coffee and biscuits you can manage in a day. However, this does give this commentator the opportunity to explore areas that are are bit “shaky”. A company that relies on passengers having a shaky experience whilst flying is ITT Enidine, a part of the larger ITT Corporation based in the USA. Ryan Evans is attending his second Helitech in Amsterdam. He joined the company after graduating from Buffalo University in Mechanical Engineering. He always wanted to work in aerospace and is now the “Shake Guru” at Enidine, a far better title than his real one of “Product Manager”.

Ryan’s job is to ensure that anybody flying the new Bell 525 or 505 doesn’t get the shakes. Now this is the clever technical bit which all passengers on these aircraft will be totally unaware of as they have a smooth flight to their destination. Attached to both sides of the transmission of the 525 and 505 are LIVE Units, otherwise known as Liquid Inertial Vibration Eliminators (see picture). These then bolt onto the aircraft frame. Energy from the shaking transmission is absorbed into a highly secret formula viscous liquid which heats up – this is then circulated and diffused through “elastomeric” bearings which get to a temperature of about 105 Farenheight.

It’s actually all pretty clever and looks very robust and easy to maintain. Ryan is rightly proud of the product as you can see from the picture. Certification is due in November/ December of 2016.
Well done to Ryan and his team and remember that whenever you fly in a Bell 505 or 525 and get the shakes it won’t be because of the aircraft vibrating.

Copyright and full responsibility for the content of this article remains with Allan Blake, an independent Aviation Consultant. He was Regional Director (Asia Pacific) with the Bristow Group for seven years. He is also the author of “Dynamic Directors: Aligning Board Structure for Business Success” (Macmillan).