Together with Perth’s Heliwest Services, Van Horn Aviation (VHA), Bell Helicopter’s subsidiary Aeronautical Accessories have successfully fitted a pair of composite main rotor blades onto an Australian Bell 206B Jet Ranger. The blades from VHA are guaranteed to extend the service life from 18,000 hours to 20,000.

The blades have NASA designed laminar-flow airfoil, carbon fibre skin with stainless steel and nickel abrasion strips for lightening and erosion protection. The blades are certified by the FAA in 2016, reports Australian Aviation.