Helitune was formed in 1978, its main aim was to provide rotor, track and balance (RTB) equipment, which could be utilised on helicopters around the world.
The founder of the company realised that the capability of available equipment at that time did not meet customers expectations and therefore decided to manufacture a new piece of equipment.
The result of this was the Rotortuner Mk1, the world’s first microprocessor based track and balance system, which was completed in 1982. The Rotortuner uses advanced algorithms to calculate solutions and an electronic camera to digitally read blade track height.
The UK MOD, impressed with the performance of the system, was the first customer purchasing 25 units for use on their fleet of helicopters. In 1985 the Rotortuner was re-designed into the Rotortuner 5.
Presently there are more than 1000 Rotortunersystems in over 30 countries throughout the world. The rotortuner systems can be utilised on the majority of operational helicopters.
In 1991, Helitune unveiled the Sentinel Balancer, a comprehensive propeller balancer for single or multi engine aircraft. This allowed operators to optimise the vibration levels of the propellers for flight condition. This represented a major breakthrough for fixed wing aircraft that had previously been restricted to ground balancing only.
The advanced electronics used in the Sentinel Balancer were improved and developed into the next generation of RTB and vibration analysis equipment. This became the
Rotortuner 2000, which was released into service in 1996. In addition to modern electronics and a touch screen interface, the RT2000 utilised advanced algorithms. This significantly reduced the number of flights required to return an aircraft to a serviceable state. The RT2000 has been continually developed with the latest release being 4.22SR1. This release considerably enhanced the performance and speed of the system. The update also included replacing the existing EHT-20 with the Voyager hand-held terminal, which incorporates the latest technology.
In 2000, Helitune entered into a joint partnership with the UK MOD, and started a development program that would extend the life of the RT-5. This resulted in the
RT5JS+, a new hardware platform using up to date technology whilst running existing software but with an enhanced capability.
Part of the development for the RT-5JS+ included significant improvements to the tracking Camera. The
Mk 2 Line Scan Camera replaced the original Line Scan Camera and is now capable of accurately tracking rotor blades in extreme weather and light conditions that were not previously possible
A new ground station
RT Vision was developed in 2003, which is based around the Windows environment. For the first time this provided Helitune's customers with an easy to use enhanced method of archiving historical data. It also provides a trending, reporting and query function.
In 2003 Helitune opened 2 subsidiary offices, in Munich, Germany
(Helitune GmbH) and Richmond, USA
(Helitune Inc) . These subsiduaries provide an in-country sales and support function that is specific to the individual customers requirements.
In 2004 Helitune acquireda new product to provide an on-board monitoring capability. This product was called the Engine Vibration Monitoring System (EVMS). When used along side RT Vision it will provide Helitune customers with a cost effective Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS).
