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First MD 530N in New Zealand Enters Service with Heliventures NZ
MD Helicopters LLC (MDH) recently announced that the first MD 530N upgrade in New Zealand has entered service with Heliventures NZ, a commercial and agricultural helicopter operator based in Oamaru on the South Island. The work was performed by Mt. Hutt Aviation (MHA), the MDH Authorized Service Center in New Zealand, with the Rolls-Royce 250-C30 engine prepared and supplied by Asia Pacific Aerospace (APA), a Rolls-Royce Authorized Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Center.
What the MD 530N Upgrade Delivers The MD 530N upgrade replaces the MD 520N’s Rolls-Royce 250-C20R engine with the more powerful 250-C30, giving NOTAR operators significantly improved performance, particularly in hot-and-high operating conditions.
MDH received FAA Supplemental Type Certificate approval for the upgrade in April 2026.
Key benefits include: •
•
to 2,000 hours, reducing scheduled engine downtime and long-term maintenance cost.
• FAA Supplemental Type Certificate approved April 2026. • A full reconditioned MD 500, not just an engine change.
MHA approached the Heliventures aircraft as a full reconditioning, rather than an engine change alone.
The scope of work included: •
•
• •
Airframe stripped down, with components removed and individually inspected, overhauled, replaced, or reinstalled Aircraft rebuilt and refinished.
• MD 530N engine upgrade package with the Rolls-Royce 250-C30.
Garmin glass cockpit. Complete exterior refinish.
Rolls-Royce 250-C30 engine replaces the MD 520N’s Rolls-Royce 250-C20R.
Significantly improved hot-and-high performance for payload and mission flexibility.
• NOTAR anti-torque system retained, with its reduced noise and ground safety advantages.
• Compressor inspection interval extended from 300 hours 32
“We’ve approached this aircraft as a full reconditioning, not simply an upgrade,” said Mark Kershaw, chief executive officer of MHA. “The result is an aircraft that is as close to a new MD 500 as you can get without building one from scratch. What you end up with is a proven MD 500 airframe, effectively remanufactured from the ground up, with modern systems and a new level of capability. It gives the operator the opportunity to retain an aircraft they know and trust, while bringing it to a standard that is genuinely comparable to a new aircraft.”
Sept/Oct 2026
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