Examples of Condition Based Maintenance with the Vibration Management Enhancement Program

The transition to a condition based maintenance program for Army Aviation requires first and foremost an accurate assessment of drive train mechanical health. Since the Vibration Management Enhancement Program was initiated, a large database of helicopter drive train machinery diagnostic condition indicators has been collected for US Army Apache and Blackhawk aircraft. Periodic investigation of outliers in the database has led to the discovery of several mechanical faults in gearboxes, bearings and drive shafts. Successful discovery of these drive train faults has demonstrated the value of having a permanently installed vibration monitoring system on Army aircraft and provided valuable information towards the goal of a condition based maintenance program.