Helitune - Helicopter Rotor Tuner Vibration Health Monitoring System (RT-VHM) - Development of Prototype

The objective of this project is to develop an innovative new helicopter Rotor Tuner Vibration Health Monitoring System (RT-VHM) for the aviation industry.
RT-VHM will deliver the world’s first dedicated CAA CAP-753 compliant solution,
specifically targeted at the expanding medium and lightweight helicopter market. RT-VHM will provide a viable alternative to traditional HUMS offerings by delivering 80% of
functionality at 20% cost.
As well as providing a vehicle for growth, the outputs from the project will pioneer an
integrated flight condition awareness capability, significantly reducing system weight and
certification costs. Novel vibration data streaming technologies will be developed to
overcome current on-the-market system deficiencies, a crucial requirement for effective
degradation analysis and prognostics. Uniquely, the project will embed and exploit the core IP generated from the current KTP to develop “Intelligent Health Monitoring Prognostics for Rotorcraft” as part of a collaborative partnership between Helitune and the University of Bristol (UoB).
This innovative product development in collaboration with the UoB will provide an
enhancement to system performance, benefiting the aviation community through reductions in aircraft cost-of-ownership, increased availability, improved reliability / safety, and reduced fuel consumption / carbon footprint.
The project will provide additional skilled employment and job security for the rural Torridge community. The new helicopter RT-VHM system will form a spearhead for Helitune’s civil and export market development.