Window tinting on a Bell 407 Helicopter
This is the second helicopter we’ve tinted. We installed window tint on the back half of this helicopter.
The windows are a type of Plexiglass which brings some extra challenges when tinting. Extreme caution has to be taken when cutting on plastic (plexiglass)! It’s not like tinting glass. 🙂 Another issue is heat shrinking film on a plastic window. Too much heat can cause distortions and waviness in the plastic. These are only a couple of areas where an inexperienced installer can get themselves involved in an extremely expensive mistake.
The FAA also has a lot of rules about tinting aircrafts. If you do it without permission from the FAA you run a high risk of the aircraft being grounded during its next inspection. This type of work should be completed at an aviation shop that can put the aircraft back in service after the tinting has been approved and completed.
There are no patterns for this type of job that can be cut by a computer. This means that you have to cut the film right on the Plexiglass. Every window in this helicopter had to be cut and molded by hand. This is one area that so many years in the window tinting industry came in handy.
The project took a couple days and the end result is fantastic! We tinted all of the back windows with a 10% film. Ultra Performance 10 (the film is no longer available)
