Patent ID: 7926759

Claim:
A helicopter comprising: a helicopter fuselage; and a tail rotor assembly coupled with the fuselage, the assembly comprising: an elongated tail rotor housing including a first tail blade end and a second tail blade end lying in a plane, the elongated tail rotor housing operative to rotate about a first axis, the first axis extending perpendicular to the plane and extending through a center of the elongated tail rotor housing between the first tail blade end and the second tail blade end; a blade root fitting disposed within the elongated tail rotor housing and operative to rotate about a second axis lying in the plane and extending perpendicular to the first axis along a length of the blade root fitting, the blade root fitting including a pitch horn; a tension torsion strap coupled at one end to the elongated tail rotor housing and at an opposite end to the blade root fitting; a tail rotor blade retention system including two self lubricating bearings coupled between an outside wall of the blade root fitting and an inside wall of the elongated tail rotor housing, the pitch horn extending outwardly from the blade root fitting between the two self lubricating bearings through an aperture in the inside wall of the elongated tail rotor housing.