DART’s new Full-Length Wearplates

DART Aerospace has responded to Transport Canada’s request for wearplates that offer more coverage and protection, creating new Full-Length Wearplates which are designed specifically to prevent premature damage to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) skidtubes on a variety of aircraft models.

Transport Canada is the entity that maintains the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) helicopter fleet. The CCG owns a fleet of Bell 429s that operate in some of the most demanding situations and challenging operational and environmental conditions – therefore, they cannot afford any downtime for skidtube replacements.

Thanks to DART Aerospace’s new Full-Length Wearplates – which have received STC certification by Transport Canada’s Civil Aviation, Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency – Transport Canada and the CCG can now avoid any unnecessary damage to its landing gear. The wearplates are composed of wearpads with tungsten-carbide welds and full-length stainless steel wearplates compatible with OEM skidtubes – and to prevent corrosion, the wearplates have a ‘Rockguard-type’ rubber inner finish, which eliminates gaskets for ease of installation. DART Aerospace also notes that no drilling is required, as DART wearplates use the existing Bell OEM wearpad inserts and fasteners, and include additional clamps to secure the installation.