For those of you unaware the FAA has issued an emergency AD
(2004-06-52) on March 18, 2004 that requires any R22 blade older than
10 years may no longer be used. The basis for the AD is questionable.
Little if any documented research was done to verify that the age of
the blade has any effect on what caused these failures. From my own
research it appears the AD and the failure problem are disjoint and
the AD will not solve the problem...but it will cost R22 owners a
fortune to replace blades older than 10 years. Please read the
material below and help change this overly severe AD. If there is a
problem it should be solved out in the open where all owners can voice
their opinions instead of behind closed doors.
The website below documents the abuse of the R22 by some mustering
operators in Australia. The crashes that resulted from this abuse
(main rotor blade failure) were used as the basis (at least in
part…50%) for the US AD. After reading this website and the CASA and
ATSB websites you will see that what's been going on in Australia has
been on the FAA and Robinsons radar for years. This AD is far in
access of any kind of reasonable response to these crashes considering
we here in the US have never had a blade failure and are not mustering
in these conditions. For instance: The documentation says that many
Australian mustering operators average 4000 to 6000 hours between
overhauls! That's double the normal life! The ships are run 8 to 12
hours a day…every day and in very hot tropical climates and the ships
appear to be subjected to a higher load spectrum then what they were
designed for.

Please take the time to research this for yourself. Then write your
congressman and let him/her know you want this AD modified! I don't
know about you but I don't have a spare $15,000, $21,000 or $28,000 as
the case may be.

http://wave.prohosting.com/tcamiga/australiapage1.htm