Chadwick-Helmuth History
STARTING FROM SCRATCH AT THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
In the early 1950’s, JPL asked Jim Chadwick to establish a new Environmental Test Lab. In those days, vibration testing and measurement equipment just wasn’t available off-the-shelf and usually had to be invented and produced on the spot.
Then in 1954, recognizing that the demand for such equipment extended well beyond the needs of JPL, Jim Chadwick and Jim Helmuth – a Caltech student hired for the summer at JPL – started the Chadwick-Helmuth Company. The Chadwick-Helmuth Company successfully produced vibration test and measurement systems similar to those they had designed and used at JPL.
THE BIRTH OF AVIATION VIBRATION ANALYSIS
In the early 1960’s Chadwick-Helmuth responded to the needs of Hughes Helicopters by producing a field-ready Vibration Analysis System with field procedures for vibration management on their early helicopters. Over the next few years, “Vibration Management” became part of every aircraft manufacturer’s vocabulary. This early system was called the Vibrex™, a name derived from the words “VIBRation EXterminator”.
GROWING THROUGH THE LAST THREE DECADES
Chadwick-Helmuth’s Aviation Vibration Analysis product line grew in the 1970’s to include the Model 192 Spectrum Analyzer, an analog “pen-pointer” instrument. In the 1980’s to include the Model 8500 Balancer / Analyzer, using Smart Chart™ technology; and in the 1990’s to include a range of Chaamp™ on-board monitoring systems, and the Vibrex™ 2000 “low cost” balancer.
Over 12,000 of these systems support over 85% of the world’s helicopters, as well as numerous fixed-wing applications.
Chadwick-Helmuth has used its experience to develop the world’s most complete line of Aviation Vibration Analysis products. However, the real strength of the company is its people.
Over 300 years of combined Aviation Vibration Management experience enable Chadwick-Helmuth’s Customer Support network to assist operators around the world.
