Jack Harter Helicopters, a Kauai-based Hawaiian helicopter tour and charter company, is the first helicopter company in the process of working with ExxonMobil to convert its fleet of M250 engines from a legacy HTS oil to Mobil Jet Oil 387. Jack Harter operates a fleet of five helicopters, four of which are MD 500E helicopters operating with M250 engines. Each of its helicopters averages around 1,200 flight hours annually between tours, charter flights and external load services.

ExxonMobil's Mobil Jet Oil 387 is now approved for use in Rolls-Royce M250 and RR300 engines, which are most commonly found in helicopters. The Rolls-Royce M250 is one of the most popular turbine engines in the world with over 170 different helicopter and fixed wing applications in both civil and military aircraft.

Helicopter engines are high temperature applications and require jet oils that provide excellent seal compatibility. As ExxonMobil's most advanced aviation turbine engine oil, Mobil Jet Oil 387 provides superb seal compatibility and prolonged life, offering protection against oil leaks. Mobil Jet Oil 387 also offers outstanding deposit control and oxidative stability, as well as improved load carrying compared to other legacy high thermal stability (HTS) oils.

“We expect that by using Mobil Jet Oil 387, helicopter operators will see improved seal compatibility, leak prevention and wear performance when compared to other legacy high thermal stability oils,” says chief aviation engineer Ed Barnes. “Maintenance professionals will also see an added benefit in that Mobil Jet Oil 387 is lighter in colour, making it easier for them to evaluate if there is coking or deposits.”

Jack Harter will also use Mobil Jet Oil 387 on the clutch parts of its external load helicopters to help improve load carrying.

“Due to the high level of use and diverse routines of our helicopters, engine reliability is critical to our operations” says Casey Riemer, special projects manager at Jack Harter Helicopters. “It's comforting to know that with this conversion we are maintaining the excellent performance of our engines, while gaining better seal performance and load carrying capabilities.”

Mobil Jet Oil 387 is produced at the Port Allen aviation lubricants plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 90,000 sq ft facility is equipped with advanced production technologies designed to raise the bar in product quality and integrity, including in-line blending, high-speed quart line and flow-through racking systems. The plant received the Zero Net Waste to Landfill Silver Validation from UL, which demonstrates ExxonMobil's commitment to reducing environmental impacts and providing airlines with cleaner lubricant choices through Mobil-branded lubricants, including jet oils, greases and hydraulic oils. ExxonMobil is the first petroleum products company to secure this validation.