Patent ID: 7980522

Claim:
A clamp for a helicopter blade having a width and leading and trailing edges, comprising: a first clamping part; a first flexible liner attachable to the first clamping part and having a cross-sectional shape with outer portions and a recessed middle, the first clamping part fitting on a first side of the helicopter blade with the first flexible liner interfacing with the helicopter blade, the first flexible liner having a clamping length at least equal to the width of the helicopter blade; a second clamping part; a second flexible liner attachable to the second clamping part, the second clamping part fitting on a second side of the helicopter blade with the second flexible liner interfacing with the helicopter blade such that the helicopter blade can be clamped between the first and second flexible liners; a hinge mechanism to pivot the first clamping part and the first flexible liner with respect to the second clamping part and the second flexible liner and vice versa, the hinge mechanism having a pivot point spaced away from the first flexible liner by a distance equal to at least 0.25 times the clamping length; and a connector provided on a lateral end of the clamp opposite to the hinge mechanism to releasably attach the first and second clamping parts to each other, wherein the second clamping part comprises front and back parts separated by a secondary hinge, the back part pivots from the hinge mechanism and extends to the secondary hinge, the front part pivots from the secondary hinge and extends to the connector, opening the hinge mechanism causes the front part to rotate about the pivot point, and when the helicopter blade is clamped between the first and second flexible liners, the secondary hinge opposes the first clamping part.