Helitune entered into a Design and Manufacturing Agreement with Leonardo Helicopters for a new and improved version of the RT-TipTrak that had previously been selected as the standard, permanent fit, onboard rotor blade tracker on the AW189 and AW169 aircraft.
The new design Multi-Configuration RT-TipTrak is an integral part of the Leonardo Helicopters HUMS and features sleek machined casting, upgraded hardware, and improved software. Configured for interchangeability between multiple platforms, the intelligent software within the camera detects the aircraft to which it is fitted and loads the appropriate software configuration. The new RT-TipTrak will now become a standard fit for the AW189 and AW169 aircraft and is currently being configured with the additional software to make it interchangeable with other aircraft in the Leonardo family, starting with the AW139.
The RT-TipTrak system uses advanced imaging technology allowing track measurement to be made at the blade tip, regarded in the helicopter industry as the optimum point of measurement. It can be used with other Helitune sensors as part of carry-on Rotor Track and Balance (RTB) systems or on-board HUMS and is fully compatible with SAE AS5394 (RITA) data transfer protocols. Advanced blade recognition technology eliminates the need for supplementary blade contrast enhancements such as tip targets or blade repainting.
Paul Hawksworth, Helitune UK Sales Manager, says
It has been a pleasure working with Leonardo on the DMA, product development, and aircraft integrations. Helitune is delighted to be a key supplier to Leonardo Helicopters and look forward to supporting their future development activities.