Hughes / McDonald Douglas / Kawasaki 500

For many years now the Hughes 500 has been the mainstay of working helicopters in New Zealand. Our extensive experience on these machines has led us to develop numerous mods to tailor them to specific roles, make them easier and more comfortable to operate, and reduce the cost of maintenance. We have also developed a number of mods addressing the issues with maintaining Kawasaki machines. Browse the list below, and Contact us to discuss your needs.

Gill battery Installation RW88/09	Replaces standard Ni-Cd battery with Gill G641 lead acid battery
Electronic hook scales RW93/04	Provides for installation of Measurement systems international load cell on cargo hooks, with electronic printout on instrument console. Acurately indicates load on hook.
Remote torque gauge RW96/02	One of the problems with hook work is keeping one eye on the torque gauge and one eye on the load being lifted. This mod addresses the issue by mounting a remote torque gauge on the cabin floor beside the collective, in easy view of a pilot leaning out the door.
Door opening ram RW97/01 (RW06/03 For Kawasaki)	Sick of doors blowing around in the wind. This mod will install gas filled rams to all four cabin doors, with appropriate reinforcing, to keep them under control.
Door handle RW97/08 (RW06/08 For Kawasaki)	A common problem with the Hughes 500 doors is them flexing around the latch in the centre of the rear edge, causing the latches to go out of adjustment. This is made worse by the door opening lever being used to pull the door closed. Our door handles both strengthen the doors at this weak point, and provide a convenient, safe handle to close the door with.
Skid shoes RW97/09 (RW06/09 For Kawasaki)	This mod provides for the installation of a large flat aluminium tread-plate shoe to the rear of the skid tubes. These spread the weight of the helicopter over a larger area, and prevent the skids sinking into soft ground or snow.
Skid mounted mirror RW98/03	Installs a convex mirror onto the LH skid tip, giving the pilot the ability to view the cargo hook and it’s load in-flight.
Kayak racks RW00/10	This mod allows the installation of Kayak racks onto the undercarriage. Two kayaks per side can be carried.
External power RW02/07 (RW06/10 For Kawasaki)	This popular and useful mod can be used to control and power diverse external equipment, from spray gear, to fert buckets, to frost lights.  It places two cannon plugs on the belly. One 2 pin socket that carries an earth and a switched 20 amp supply, and a 3 pin socket with an earth, and a switching 7 ½ amp power and earth combo. Both sockets are controlled via cyclic mounted switches.
External compressed air RW03/01 (RW06/06 for Kawasaki)	This mod installs an ARO coupling through the RH lower engine bay skin, providing P2 bleed air to run Pneumatic equipment.
Kawasaki PMA tail rotor blades RW03/14	Provides for the installation of HTC 500P3300-501 Tail Rotor blades to Kawasaki helicopters.
Kawasaki PMA main rotor blades RW03/15	Provides for the installation of HTC 500P2100-301 Main Rotor blades to Kawasaki helicopters.
Kawasaki Wedge door windows RW04/04	Provides for the installation of Tech tool Wedge door windows into Kawasaki helicopters
Kawasaki Aerometals tail boom RW04/11	Provides for the installation of Aerometals tail booms onto Kawasaki helicopters.
Frost lights RW04/17	When flying at night, vision is always an issue. Flying frost protection highlights this, and the single landing light on the 500 is a cause of concern for many pilots. This mod installs a pair of spot lights mounted on the LH front skid step, providing ample light, and bulb redundancy.
Cabin door rain gaurds RW06/01	This mod installs an extruded aluminium channel  in front of and above the cabin doors, to prevent the entry of rain both on the ground, and in flight.
Collective ground lock RW06/02	This is a simple locking device that secures the collective fully down while on the ground, preventing inadvertent rising of the collective.
Kawasaki Tail rotor trans upgrade RW06/04	Upgrades the -601 tail rotor trans to the later -701 on Kawasaki 500’s
Kawasaki Main rotor swashplate RW06/05	Changes -605 main rotor swashplate on Kawasaki machines  to -501, extending the overhaul life from 1800hrs to 2770hrs.
Kawasaki Tail boom attach bolts RW06/07	Provides for the replacement of the NAS625-14 Boom attach bolts on Kawasaki machines with MS21250-05014 bolts.
AgGps installation RW06/11	Provides for installation of Trimble’s Trimflight 3 AgGPS  system, mounted on a removable stainless steel frame above the pilot’s knees.
Kawasaki Main rotor gearbox overhaul RW06/15	Allows overhaul of Kawasaki main rotor gearboxes under MD instructions.
Kawasaki Main rotor swashplate overhaul RW06/16	Allows overhaul of Kawasaki main rotor swashplates under MD instructions.
Kawasaki  overrunning Clutch overhaul RW06/17	As above Allows overhaul of Kawasaki overrunning Clutches under MD instructions.
Kawasaki Techtool window install RW07/03	Provides for the fitting of Tech Tool windscreen panels to Kawasaki machines.
Frost Lights RW08/14	This mod installs a high power light onto one or both front leg steps for frost protection flying.
TracMap AgGPS Installation RW10/06	This mod installs the New Zealand made TracMap agricultural GPS guidence and mapping system on a removable stainless steel bracket mounted above the pilot's knees. Data download is made easy via a side mounted USB port.