In 2000 an airworthiness directive (AD) was issued by the FAA for R22 helicopters concerning cracking on the main rotor yoke half assemblies. I thought any reference to ‘yokes’ was referring to yokes on the main transmission shaft running from the main gearbox, to the freewheel unit and onto the tail. But this AD is actually talking about cracking on the yoke up above the swashplate on the main rotor shaft (see Figure A).
They should have been replaced by Jan 2001, so check your aircraft logbooks against the details outlined in the AD below.
And now you know there is more than one type of yoke on an R22!
More resources
- Read the full AD 2000-20-51
- R22 Illustrated Parts Catalog – look for part number 54
