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Blog

17 Nov 2020
By David Creech

Update on Hoist Cable Set Screws

What is the purpose of the cable set screw? You know…that small screw that gets torqued to 10-12 in-lbs after installation of a new hoist cable? Let’s start off by saying what IS NOT the purpose of the screw. It IS NOT the purpose of the screw to hold the rated load of the hoist (600 lbs). If that WAS the purpose, it would need to be a much larger screw, indeed! So, if it is not the purpose of the set screw to hold the load, then what IS its purpose? The purpose of that screw is simply to…
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17 Nov 2020
By David Creech

Cable Reseat vs Post-Operational Check…one defeats the other?

You completed hoist operations for the day and concluded your flight with a cable reseat of 150 lbs. After shutdown, the aircraft was towed into the hangar and, per the required Post Operational Check in the Army checklist, the “amount of cable used” was reeled out in order to inspect it for “corrosion, kinks, separated strands, wear, and broken or frayed wires.” Question: "What good did a reseat do for me if I’m just going to follow it up with a cable inspection that leaves loose wraps on the drum?" That’s a very good question and one that has been…
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24 Sep 2020
By David Creech

Tagline Techniques, Part 1

Taglines are used to minimize spin, swing, and oscillation (conical rotation) of hoist devices. Spin is an issue because the hoist hook has a swivel bearing. That swivel bearing is a must so that torsional forces in the cable (above the hook) can depart the system. Without it, the cable would unravel. An unfortunate by-product is that everything below the hook can also rotate and that can present its own challenges. Spin typically results from the effects of air movement (e.g. wind or rotor downwash). A suspended object will rotate so as to present its smallest surface area to that…
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20 Mar 2020
By David Creech
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Ultra-Lok Enters Testing

Ultra-Lok Enters Testing

The auto-locking hoist hooks have gotten a lot of press in the last couple of years, and for good reason – dynamic rollout is a “clear and present danger” when using hoisted devices that are susceptible to rollout and when using hooks that can be in an unlocked state while lifting. To recap, dynamic rollout (also called “ring rollout,” “hook rollout,” “forced rollout,” or just “rollout”) is the unintentional separation of a hoisted device (rescue strop, seat, basket, litter, etc) from the hook. Rollout can only occur if all three of the following conditions exists: Susceptibility – the geometry of…
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20 Mar 2020
By David Creech

More About Recurring Inspections and the Hoist Placed-in-Service Inspection

Numerous questions still linger for Army users about what inspections must be completed for the Breeze-Eastern external rescue hoist. Such questions are understandable since the Technical Manuals are not always clear...and what is there often differs from manufacturer recommendations. So, what inspections are REQUIRED for this hoist and when am I required to do them? The REQUIRED inspections for Army users are driven through the Legitimate Code File (LCF) and filter down to users in the form of recurring -18 inspections. The recurring inspections REQUIRED for the BL-29900-30-1 hoist are: Operational Check – due every time the cable is changed…
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21 Nov 2019
By David Creech

P/N Correction on Hoist Crushable Bumper

This is a US Army issue... TM 1-1520-237-23&P shows the hoist crushable bumper/spring assembly in WP 3415, Fig 14-4, Item 23. The Repair Parts and Special Tools List (RPSTL) gives the NSN for this Item as 5340-01-512-0408 and the P/N as BL-12750-3. TM 1-1520-28-023&P is the same except that it is Item 24. The TMs are incorrect. BL-12750-3 is a shorter crushable bumper and was replaced by BL-15975-3 with the issuance of Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) BL-12756-1-A25-01 in 2002. The correct P/N is BL-15975-3. The current NSN also does not list the new P/N and that has caused some problems…
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21 Nov 2019
By David Creech

Clearing Up Confusion About Hoist Mid-Section Covers

There are two hoist mid-section covers that cover the drum, level-winds, and part of the cable guide assembly. These two covers consist of an upper cover (plastic with clear panel) and a lower cover (metal) that protects the wiring harnesses that cross over from the motor to the controller. These covers get removed whenever a cable is changed and for the recurring measurements of the tension roller (every 6 months). They also get removed for replacement of either the pressure roller assembly or tension roller – both of which are outside Army Technical Manual (TM) authorized maintenance and require approval…
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19 Sep 2019
By David Creech

30° Fleet Angle Limitation on the Hoist

Continuing along the same lines as previous articles related to controlling cable swing or oscillation, this article discusses an actual limitation for hoist operations – a maximum 30-deg fleet angle. Army users will be familiar with the -10, Chapter 5, angle of bank limitation while maneuvering with a rescue hoist load: 30 degrees. But where is the hoist fleet angle limitation stated? Not in Chapter 5. In fact, it is not in the -10 at all so it is often missed. Where do we find it? In the TM work packages under functional characteristics for the hoist, and in the…
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19 Sep 2019
By David Creech

19-AMAM-01 vs Updated TMs

You may recall past discussions about Aviation Maintenance Action Message H-60-19-AMAM-01, which I often abbreviate as simply “19-AMAM-01.” Just to refresh your memory, the PD MEDEVAC Hoist and Cable Handling – Known Issues and Best Practices white paper (dated 28 MAR 2018) outlined a number of hoist-related issues based on about five years’ worth of research and became the “framework for change” for many of those issues. Subsequent to that, 19-AMAM-01 was released on 29 OCT 2018, implementing many of the recommendations from that paper. Well, despite all the great stuff in 19-AMAM-01, an unforeseen issue would rear its ugly…
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12 Aug 2019
By David Creech

Controlling Hoist Oscillation – Advanced Techniques

We previously published an article entitled, “Controlling Hoist Oscillation – It’s All About Cable Length.” Be sure to read that article before this one. In that article, we discussed the basics of pendulum control. We introduced a pendulum simulator known as the PhET simulator from the University of Colorado, Boulder – a great online tool that allows users to experiment with controlling pendulum movement. We noted that changing the weight of the object has absolutely no effect on the oscillation. However, changing the length of the cable does affect oscillation and that effect can be significant. In fact, the greater…
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