Corrosion is a pervasive risk that impacts helicopter operators around the world.
While the danger is especially prevalent in coastal and offshore operations, corrosion affects helicopters from every environment. Often referred to as “the silent enemy”, it is easy for the unaware to miss early warning signs, leading to detrimental results.
Generally arising from environmental triggers, corrosion causes the metal of a helicopter to degrade, eventually to the point of failure if left untreated. Depending on the location of the corrosion, failure could result in anything from an unexpected, forced landing to a complete loss of control and crash. There are many different types of corrosion, and it can occur both on the surface of an aircraft as well internally on vital components and structures. This means that not all corrosion can be identified through a simple visual inspection and a more in-depth examination is often necessary to pinpoint certain variations.
Operators can avoid the disasters of corrosion by having a plan in place to minimize their risk and detect the warning signs early. The first step of developing an effective corrosion control plan is gaining an understanding of the risk factors present in one’s operating environment. Having an idea of potential triggers creates a strong base for a prevention and treatment plan. However, many do not know what the specific risk factors are for a given environment or what they can do about those risks. Corrosion is a difficult thing to handle, especially for operators who have never considered this danger before.
PHI’s long history with this adversary comes from years of protecting our fleet operating in the Gulf of Mexico, a severe corrosion risk environment. We have gained a familiarity with the risk factors and learned what methods work best for dealing with those risks. Through this experience, our teams have developed a comprehensive corrosion control plan that encompasses prevention, identification, and treatment. And now, it is our mission to share our experience so that operators all over have the tools they need to safeguard their own fleet.
PHI took the first step in this initiative at HAI Heli-Expo 2023. Our foremost corrosion control experts held a seminar at the convention where we delved into what corrosion is and what operators can do about it. The presentation ended with an extended Q&A session to allow everyone in attendance the chance to have all their corrosion-related questions answered.
PHI’s experts are to host this seminar again at the Bell M&O Conference in September 2023, giving anyone who missed the first session another chance to hear this valuable information. We welcome anyone planning to attend to stop by and learn more about corrosion and what you can do to protect your fleet from this danger.
As part of a growing educational series, we have also compiled the key points from our seminar into a white paper available below. Click the link to download and gain access to PHI’s corrosion expertise now.