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Airframe Vibration: Look Beyond the Prop

Although we're primarily concerned with airframe vibration for this article, it's worth a few words on engine mounts, or engine isolators, as they're more appropriately called. We covered them in detail in the January 2015 Aviation Consumer. These elastomer donut-like components that live between the airframe and the engine serve the important purpose of dampening the rigid airframe from the hammering vibration of the engine and propeller. Engine vibes can certainly do damage, including cracking major structural components, loosening rivets, fatiguing metal and damaging instruments, to name a few issues. Steve Gruenberg, a professional vibration analyst, told us to "Think of airframe vibration as multiple impacts-as in taking a hammer to the structure."

Aviation Consumer Staff
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The Insight GEM G3 series engine monitorhas an integral spectrum analyzer utility to help troubleshoot vibes.

The chide in the helicopter world is that excessive vibration is the unsolvable path to early destruction. Truth is, piston airplanes are a close second, and yes, the sit-up-straight paranoia-inducing vibration you feel in the floorboards while over large bodies of water is real.

Getting an airplane to fly smoothly enough to keep passengers satisfied and components healthy goes beyond a well-tuned engine and balanced props, although that’s often the starting point.

Aviation Consumer Staff