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Sport Copter M912 cracked hub bar (Australia)
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Author:  Kolibri [ Sat Apr 13, 2024 2:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Sport Copter M912 cracked hub bar (Australia)

I have no doubt that Sport Copter makes the most robust and longest life gyro rotor system. To my knowledge, there has never been an in-flight rotor system failure, a superb safety record which I believe is matched only by Magni. Unless mustering, you're not likely to ever wear or time out a Sport Rotor. I gained great peace of mind in 2015 when I converted my RAF2000 to a rotor system that will give me lifetime service.

However, even the best gyro rotor system in the world is not eternally serviceable. The below photo (from Australia) shows the first cracked SC hub bar I've ever heard of, evidently from a high-time mustering machine. The crack had propagated nearly half-way across the chord, and was minutes or seconds away from a catastrophic failure. It was caught in a pre-flight inspection, thank God.

In the firearms courses I teach, I tell my students that ironically the more reliable their weapons are, the more often they should practice malfunction drills because real life will give them seldom opportunities. Similarly, the more reliable your aircraft, the more you must guard against inspection complacency.

Do not be lax on rigorous pre- and post-flight inspections of even your more robust components.

I don't know if this info is still current (contact the company to confirm), but the last version of the M912 POH which I wrote on August 19, 2021 (a month before I quit) stated on page 89:


2500 Hours:
Fixed pitch hub bar: recommended to retire/replace.

3500 Hours, or 20 years, whichever comes first:
Adjustable pitch hub bar: retire/replace per Service Letter 0214.

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