This paper presents a strategy based on the approach of designing and inserting into helicopter vibration isolation systems mountable mechanisms with springs of adjustable sign-changing stiffness for system stiffness control. A procedure to extend the effective area of stiffness control is presented; a set of parameters for sensitivity analysis and practical mechanism design is formulated. The validity and flexibility of the approach are illustrated by application to crewmen seat suspensions and vibration isolators for equipment protection containers. The strategy provides minimization of vibrations, especially in the infra-low frequency range which is the most important for crewmen efficiency and safety of the equipment. This also would prevent performance degradation of some operating systems. The effectiveness is demonstrated through measured data obtained from development and parallel flight tests of new and operating systems. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.