Surfacite Skid Shoes have been in use protecting skid tubes for 32 years,
installed on 5,000 Military, EMS,
Law Enforcement, and civilian helicopters around the world.
A few examples are shown below.
Surfacite Skid Shoes on U.S. Army OH-58D’s at Camp Taji, IRAQ. Surfacite Shoes are designated a “Critical Application Item” for protecting skid tubes against damage during training exercises such as autorotations and high-speed landings to concrete and asphalt runways. These Shoes did a great job of extending the useful life of these skid tubes in Iraq, saving money and preventing wasteful maintenance downtime.
Surfacite Skid Shoes on the cover of Rotor & Wing magazine (July 2014 issue). Air-One Emergency Response Coalition operates UH-1’s for police and SAR missions. This UH-1 was re-purposed from military use. The Surfacite Skid Shoes on this aircraft have been in service for many years. (Photo by Bruce S. Edwards)
At the Bell Helicopter factory in Quebec, CANADA, Surfacite Shoes are installed on a Bell 407 used for pilot training. Bell Helicopter has purchased hundreds of sets of Surfacite Shoes to protect skid tubes on it’s own aircraft and those it provides to customers.
Surfacite Skid Shoes on Petroleum Helicopter International (PHI) A-Star used in Emergency Medical Services. Surfacite Shoes are used on EMS helicopters around the world to protect the skid tubes from denting and bending when landing on rocks and debris at accident sites.
Surfacite Skid Shoes on the cover of Military Helicopter News (April 2009 issue), showing Surfacite Shoes installed on U.S. State Dept Huey II’s operating in Afghanistan. Rock-strewn desert terrain was tearing up Huey skid tubes before Surfacite Shoes were installed. Our Shoes extended the service life of the skid tubes from several weeks to multiple years.
Over Afghanistan, Surfacite Shoes flying on U.S. Air Force UH-1’s during opium raids. Surfacite Shoes were essential to preventing impact damage to skid tubes when landing on rocky desert terrain. (Photo by Ned Dawson for Heli-Ops Int’l)
MD500E flown by the Kern County Sheriff Air Support Unit in Kern County, CA equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes. These Shoes were installed in May, 2000 and have been in constant use for 14 years protecting these skid tubes.
EC-145/UH-72 Lakota at the American Eurocopter in Grande Prairie, TX with Surfacite Shoes installed. The US Army’s fleet of four hundred UH-72 “Lakota” helicopters will be equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes. Multi-year testing of Surfacite Shoes by American Eurocopter demonstrated that Surfacite Shoes outlasted the OEM Shoes by huge margins. Surfacite Shoes installed three years ago at the American Eurocopter training facility in Grande Prairie are still in use today.
Surfacite Skid Shoes on
U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL MD500 with Surfacite Shoes that are essential to preventing impact damage to skid tubes when landing on forest terrain. Virtually all CBP helicopters are equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes.
Surfacite Skid Shoes are installed on over 5,000 helicopters globally from the deserts of Saudi Arabia to the glaciers of Alaska to the jungles of Peru.
The entire U.S. Army Helicopter Training Fleet at Fort Rucker, Alabama has been equipped exclusively with Surfacite Shoes for 30 years, saving the US Army millions of dollars in replacement parts, maintenance man-hours and wasted downtime. Surfacite Shoes have been critical to increasing training flight-hours and decreasing maintenance costs.
U.S. Army and Army National Guard Cost-Effectiveness studies have shown that using Surfacite Shoes resulted in a 99% reduction in money spent on replacement skid shoes, replacement skid tubes and man-hours spent on landing gear maintenance.
Put Surfacite Skid Shoes to work for you protecting your skid tubes, saving money and preventing expensive downtime.
Surfacite Skid Shoes on U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Huey II’s, shown above and below. Because of the heavy weight of these aircraft and the large loads they carry, an exceptional amount of damage can be done to the skid tubes when landing on rocks and tree limbs during their missions. Surfacite Shoes have done a fantastic job of protecting these Huey II skid tubes for many years.
Saudi Aramco fleet of Bell 412’s and 212’s operating in SAUDI ARABIA have been equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes for 15 years with outstanding results protecting the skid tubes from both desert landings and landings on abrasive oil platform landing pads.
At the Bell Helicopter factory in Mirabelle, Quebec, CANADA
U.S. Army Air Medical UH-1 over Fort Rucker, Alabama. Medevac helicopters land on bad terrain to evacuate the wounded. Surfacite Skid Shoes have done an excellent job of protecting the skid tubes from dents, bends and punctures. This set of Surfacite Shoes has been installed on this Huey for over five years.
The FINNISH Border Patrol operates four Agusta 119’s, all equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes.
Horizon International Flight Academy in the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES the premier flight school in the region, equips all of it’s Bell 206 and Bell 407’s with Surfacite Skid Shoes with great results.
Surfacite Skid Shoes installed on US Army Kiowa (OH-58) flying a mission above Kirkuk, IRAQ with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade in 2008. The Shoes were critical to defending the tubes from rock-strew desert terrain. (Photo by Spc. Bryanna Poulin)
U.S. Air Force UH-1N with Surfacite Shoes installed at MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Montana. UH-1N Huey maintenance crews specify Surfacite Skid Shoes as they dramatically reduce the time and money that would be wasted on replacing OEM Shoes and skid tubes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class John Parie)
Starflight’s Bell 412 with Surfacite Shoes installed lands at Breckenridge Hospital in Austin, TEXAS. Medevac helicopters of all models use Surfacite Shoes to defend against serious damage to skid tubes. (Photo courtesy of Bell Helicopter)
In the Sinai Desert in Egypt, the Multi-National Force and Observers (MFO) operate UH-1’s for logistical and re-supply missions. This Huey is flying out to a remote base on Tiran Island in the Red Sea. All of these MFO helicopters are equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes. (U.S.Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Phonda M. Lawson)
U.S. Army OH-58’s of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade await shipment to Afghanistan. All OH-58’s in the Aviation Brigade were equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes throughout their deployment with outstanding results. (Photo by Donna Klapakis, 599th Transportation Brigade Command Affairs Officer.)
The BULGARIAN Air Force flying Bell 206B-3 Jetrangers equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes. The entire Bulgarian Air Force training fleet of Bell 206’s is equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes. (Photo courtesy of Svetlan Simov - Aviationlistonline)
EC-145 flown by the Texas Department of Public Services (DPS) equipped with Surfacite Skid Shoes. The Texas DPS A-Stars are also equipped with Surfacite Shoes as shown below.
U.S. Army Hughes OH-6 with Surfacite Shoes. Many OH-6’s and MH-6 Little Birds used by U.S. Special Forces are equipped with Surfacite Shoes due to the fact that they land in punishing terrain that would do permanent damage to the skid tubes if not protected by Surfacite Shoes.
The entire fleet of Bell TH-67 NTH helicopters at Fort Rucker, AL. “The Home of Army Aviation”, have Surfacite Skid Shoes installed to protect the skid tubes from severe abrasion that normally occurs during high-speed auto-rotations to concrete runways. Surfacite Skid Shoes have been a vital component in keeping the Army’s basic training fleet flying since 1982.
Call (800) 645-7669 or (248) 645-9511
Ask for Mark Shwayder.
Fax: (248) 645-0163
E-mail: shwayder@sbcglobal.net
The Shwayder Company
Surfacite Skid Shoes are installed on Columbian and Peruvian National Police Force helicopters (shown on the flight line at left) which operate constantly in jungle and mountainous terrain, which can quickly destroy their skid tubes. Our Full-Length Skid Shoes prevent these skid tubes from being damaged during landings on the skid-tube-wrecking terrain of the Andes Mountains (as shown below).
These skid tubes on Peruvian National Police Huey survived this landing and hundreds of others like it only because they are protected with Full-Length, Ultra-Hardsurface Surfacite Skid Shoes.
