WINONA, Minn. – A helicopter rotor blade was reported stolen from outside a hangar at the Winona airport. The rotor was taken some time over the winter but not missed until now, police were told. The rotor was valued at $1,500. The black-market value of the rotor to anyone not in aviation could be only the titanium leading edge, which goes for $50 a pound, but a single rotor doesn’t have much. Other than that, the spars are are precisely crafted stainless steel surrounding a fiberglass skeleton. The trailing edge is covered with a graphite composite.
