Use color for balance, too.

Dear Sergeant Blade,

After reading the story on page 38 of PS 611 (Oct 03), we think there might be a potential problem.

The instructions to make the tail rotor hardware display board do not allow for the rotation of the tail rotor which may happen while it is disassembled.

If the tail rotor blades being removed are to be installed in the same gear box, and the color bands have worn off, use a grease pencil and put index marks on blades, retention plates, pitch control rods, and pitch beam so they are reinstalled in the same clockwise and inboard/outboard positions to minimize rebalancing of the tail rotor.

To maintain proper tail rotor balance, it's also important to mark the board with red, yellow, blue and black labels as shown on the retention plate. This will further reduce hardware mixup because if the rotor turns, it ensures the hardware will be installed in the same position from which it was removed.

It's also important that the pitch beam, inboard retention plate and outboard retention plate and each pitch control rod are marked with correct color, too.

Andrew Harrison

Michigan AASF