Balance System Inventor Passes Away

James Chadwick, owner of Chadwick-Helmuth Company and pioneer of a portable helicopter rotor track and balance system, died on May 2 at his home in Bradbury, Calif. Chadwick founded the company more than 50 years ago with Jim Helmuth. In the mid-1960s, the company developed the Vibrex/Stobex portable rotor track and balance system and in the 1980s, introduced the model 8500 balancer/analyzer with Smart Chart technology. In 2002, Chadwick-Helmuth became a business unit of Honeywell. Dan Ramos, treasurer of PAMA’s chapter in southern California, noted that “if you have ever balanced a prop, rotor system, engine or even a ceiling fan, you probably used a Chadwick Balance System in some form or another during your maintenance career. The Chadwick balancing tool has been an integral part of my maintenance career for 30 years.” Memorial services will be held on Saturday, May 16 at 1:30 pm at his home in Bradbury. For more information, e-mail john@jchadwickco.com or call 626-358-9955.