New TC-Approved King Air Flap Roller Bearings Improve Aviation Safety and Reliability

July 24, 2024

New TC-Approved King Air Flap Roller Bearings Improve Aviation Safety and Reliability

Marsh Brothers Aviation (MBA), a leading manufacturer of advanced polymer seal and bearing solutions for the aviation industry, has received Transport Canada approval for its innovative new King Air Flap Roller Bearing.

The revolutionary new product – the first polymer bearing solution Marsh Brothers Aviation has developed for commercial aircraft – solves a critical maintenance issue faced by operators of the popular Beechcraft King Air series of aircraft.

“We can now provide a long-life roller/bearing solution that improves safety, reduces operating costs, and increases aircraft availability for the country’s King Air operators,” says Nicholas Choo-Son, Director Business Development at Marsh Brothers Aviation.

OEM greased needle flap rollers are prone to seizing up over time as the grease ages and stiffens. This then causes the flap rollers to slide in the track instead of rolling, leading to abnormal track wear and damage resulting in unscheduled downtime, and costly repairs.

“The style of roller currently used is a traditional sealed grease packed needle roller that relies on supplemental lubrication,” says Choo-Son. “Grease does not respond effectively to the lower outside air temperatures at flight altitudes, so the rollers can slide in the track rather than roll.”

Choo-Son says this is a well-known problem amongst the King Air community, with mandatory 3000-hour inspections frequently revealing bearing wear and aluminum track damage.

“Unscheduled maintenance from a seized flap roller can easily cost operators in excess of US$20,000 in parts and labour, plus substantial revenue losses from aircraft downtime,” he says.

MBA believes that once operators convert to the self-lubricating polymer bearing alternative, inspections will reveal little to no bearing wear and zero metal-on-metal deterioration of the aluminum track.

“This is a breakthrough development for King Air operators in Canada and, following any subsequent approvals from FAA and other authorities, across the U.S.A and beyond,” says Marsh Brothers Aviation’s Business Development Manager, Juan Rivera.

“The King Air flap roller demonstrates our expanding capabilities and commitment to delivering advanced polymer solutions that make aircraft safer and more cost effective to operate.”

MBA’s proprietary AeroTough® material, the self-lubricating polymer on which the new roller bearing is cited as having greater durability than other materials, including Teflon®.

What’s more, compared to the original greased metal bearings used in these and other aircraft, the rollers last considerably longer. The single-piece design of the King Air Flap Roller Bearing also simplifies installation, compared to the OEM system.

“A new roller design that does not rely on supplemental lubrication addresses the need for a better and more reliable roller,” says Rivera. “And by means of having a cleaner and simplified one-piece roller design, we have been able to make the on-wing installation easier for the aircraft mechanic by reducing the number of components.”

Rivera suggests there are opportunities for several Canadian King Air operators to be early adopters of the flap roller kits. Operators in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, in particular, are showing interest in a field trial collaboration as they operate scheduled daily flights.

For U.S. registered King Air 200/300 Series, pending an FAA STC, the Field Approval (FAA Form 337) process may be used to secure aircraft serial number specific approval for installation of the Marsh Brothers Aviation Grease-Free flap rollers.



Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in News

King Air Operators Install New Grease-Free Wing Flap Rollers Following Transport Canada Approval
King Air Operators Install New Grease-Free Wing Flap Rollers Following Transport Canada Approval

October 22, 2024

King Air operators across the Americas are trialing Marsh Brothers Aviation’s new flap roller bearings following Transport Canada’s (TC) July approval of the polymer bearing technology for commercial use.

Continue Reading

Marsh Brothers Aviation Unveils its First Cross Shaft Bearing Upgrade for the Piper Aerostar
Marsh Brothers Aviation Unveils its First Cross Shaft Bearing Upgrade for the Piper Aerostar

September 28, 2023

Canada’s Marsh Brothers Aviation (“Marsh Brothers”) has unveiled an innovative new bearing upgrade kit for the turbocharged engines on the Piper Aerostar aircraft.

Developed to boost bearing reliability and reduce replacement intervals, Marsh Brothers Aviation’s Aerostar Turbo Cross Shaft (TCS) Bearing Block Kit is the first upgrade solution to incorporate one of the company’s newest polymers, AeroTough HT (ATHT) – an engineered self-lubricating polymer developed specifically to withstand higher temperatures.

Continue Reading

Marsh Brothers Aviation Materials Expertise Adds to Low-Weight Appeal of DarkAero Composite Kit Aircraft
Marsh Brothers Aviation Materials Expertise Adds to Low-Weight Appeal of DarkAero Composite Kit Aircraft

October 17, 2022 2 Comments

A partnership between Marsh Brothers Aviation and DarkAero is generating considerable interest in the use of composite materials across the wider aviation industry. The collaboration between the companies, which started in 2018 with a chance meeting at an aviation event, is yielding results for Canada’s Marsh Brothers and the three-sibling start-up DarkAero with the development of the latter’s high-performance self-build aircraft kit.

Continue Reading