Been thinkn bout wots been posted about hub bar failures and high energy manuvers, and i think a point may have been missed.Wot most people think of when they hear the term 'high energy manuver' mite have some thinkn they're safe coz they don't do them.And this could be a problem i think.Anyone can stress rotors, experianced or not, and its got less to do with the style of flyn and more to do with an understanding of wot stresses a blade in a way that its not desigened to handle.Ozy Woz,[ for those who saw him at Cooma this year], was performing wot i recon most people would call 'high energy manuvers'. In a sence they'd be right, but not in the sence of applying damageing stress on a rotor/ hub bar.The stress he was dishn out is the sorta stress a rotor CAN handle.[ solong as you apply this stress properly.][ sorry if i'm not explaining meself very well.]The main things that stresses a hub bar in a detramental way may be,rotor strikesrotor flappingignoring pitch feed backrough ground handelingpoorly tuned baldesPoor rotor RPM management.[ yes, it don't just apply to choppers]and prolonged high speed.[ please correct me if im wrong, or missed something.]The abuse above can be served to anyone's rotors, but more likely the rotors over a novise or sumone who's ignorant of where the dangers lie.More experianced fliers, especialy ones who apply their machines to situations that require maximum performance/ effect are less likly to stress their blades detramentaly coz they learn that if the blades are managed properly, they'll get maximum effect.Once you get the hang of 'flyn the rotors' you realise wot potential there is in um.I'm not layn blame on anyone or defending anyone, i just don't want the more likely people to cause blade/bar stress to mistakenly think that its not go'n to happen to them, coz they're just weekend putters. We'll probably never know the true history of the offending blades/bars, but i'll bet a blade that's looked after, respected, and flowen appropriatly will accumulate many more hours than the ones that are abused unintentionaly.Probably a more appropriate term mite be sumthn like 'high energy incidents', where its clearer that any energy absorbing impact, manuver or incident will stress the systm.Any feed back through the stick such as blade flap, pitch feed back, blade strikes, cone shake or any general stick shake is stressing the blade/bar and should be avoided.I think the 800 hour limit is a good starting point, no matter wots happened in those 800 hours. They're only blades, its not like they're made of gold or sumthn.If no blades fail under the 800 hours then we know where to start, and maybe stretch it out a few hunderd hours in a few years.Waiting for a blade to fail to find out when its going to fail ain't a real smart way of go'n bout it.[and wouldn't it be good if EVERYONE was 100% honest bout the history of their blades][}
]There are alota ways to fly gyros, but only one way that's going to ensure you'll get another go at it.[
]Ignorance is bliss............but only till you realise you were.You can always get the answer you want, if you ask enough experts.


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