H-1 Remote Turbine Engine Borescope Inspection
(submitted by Roger LaPlante, EER Systems)

Statement of Problem:

 Both commercial and military turbine engines are subjected to daily wear and tear and foreign object damage (FOD) during routine operation. The increased operational tempo of armed conflict accelerates this damage on military aircraft. Forward deployed aircraft are particularly vulnerable to FOD damage due to the dirty conditions associated with temporary and captured airfields. In extreme environments such as Afghanistan , mission critical aircraft are routinely taken out of service for extended periods of time because engine blade degradation and marginal incidents of FOD are often difficult to evaluate. Accurate borescope inspections for FOD damage and engine blade wear are vital to ensure maximum safety and readiness of aircraft.
 

Proposed Solution:

 Remote borescope inspection system using real-time video and audio exchange between deployed O-Level maintainers and I-Level/Depot/Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) engineers via a web-based collaboration framework that will assist UH-1/AH-1 maintenance personnel with rapid analysis of engine blade damage. The resulting remote borescope inspection system may be transitioned into the private UH-1 community to benefit the commercial sector.