| EC135 | |
|---|---|
| Eurocopter EC135 T2+ of the German Federal Police | |
| Role | Light utility helicopter |
| National origin | European Union |
| Manufacturer | Eurocopter |
| First flight | 15 February 1994 |
| Produced | over 1000 (2011)[1] |
| Unit cost | ~US$4.2M, €3M |
| Variants | Eurocopter EC 635 |
The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police and ambulance services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR).
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The EC135 can trace its history back to before the formation of Eurocopter. It was started as the BO 108 by MBB of Germany in the mid-eighties. A technology demonstrator ('V1') flew for the first time on 17 October 1988, powered by two Allison 250-C20R/1 engines. A second BO 108 ('V2') followed on 5 June 1991, this time with two Turboméca TM319-1B Arrius engines. Both these machines had a conventional tail rotor.
In late 1992, the design was revised with the introduction of the Fenestron tail rotor system, reflecting the creation of Eurocopter that year through the merger of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) and Aérospatiale. The combination of lower accident potential from the enclosed rotor, and interior space, have made the EC135 popular with aeromedical helicopter operators. The EC135 is the best selling light twin of the past 10 years.
Two pre-production prototypes were built. They flew on 15 February and 16 April 1994, testing the Arrius 2B and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B engines, the older and less powerful Allison Model 250 powerplant having been rejected. A third helicopter followed on 28 November 1994.
The EC135 made its US debut at the Heli-Expo in January 1995 at Las Vegas. After over 1,600 flight hours, European JAA certification was achieved on 16 June 1996, with FAA approval following on 31 July. Deliveries started on 1 August, when two helicopters (0005 and 0006) were handed over to Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht. The 100th EC135 was handed over to the Bavarian police force in June 1999. By that time the worldwide fleet had accumulated approximately 30,000 flight hours. As of 2008, the fleet total stood at over 1 million flight hours, with over 650 aircraft delivered.
Single-pilot IFR (SPIFR) certification was granted by the German LBA on 2 December 1999. Deliveries to the German Aviators Corps began on 13 September 2000 at the German Army Aviators School at Bückeburg Air Base near Achum, Germany. The EC135 received SPIFR certification from the UK CAA in December 2000.
In autumn 2000, Eurocopter announced the start of certification work for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2, a version of the PW207 which offers improved single-engine performance and 30 second emergency power. The LBA certification was achieved on 10 July 2001, and the first EC135 with the new engines was handed over to the Swedish National Police on 10 August 2001.
The world fleet leader in aircraft hours for this type is G-NESV (s/n 0067) operated by Cleveland Police Air Operations Unit based at Durham Tees Valley Airport, UK. This aircraft was originally delivered to the North East Air Support Unit in April 1999, and by 2009 it had clocked up almost 12,000 hours.
At the NBAA in March 2007 in Atlanta, Eurocopter unveiled ‘L’Hélicoptère par Hermès, a special-edition VIP model designed by Hermès International, S.A.. This variant features a specially-created luxury four-place main cabin, a sliding glass partition, a corporate baggage hold, redesigned skid landing gear and other external changes. Launch customer for ‘L’Hélicoptère par Hermès is Falcon Aviation Services (FAS), based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
2011, Eurocopter entered the Chinese business market licensing the Zhong-Ou International Group to produce the EC135 Luxury Helicopter in the Zhejiang province.[2]
In March 2009 the EC135 was the first aircraft selected for offshore wind support in the UK [3] after the UK Civil Aviation Authority approved helicopter operations to the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm.[4] The EC135 had already been used for some time in Denmark, supporting the Horns Rev offshore wind farm where over 10,000 successful personnel transfers have taken place.[5][6]
The EC135 is popular with air charter companies, air ambulance operators and is operated by private individuals and companies.
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Data from {Eurocopter EC135 2008 Tech Data book}
General characteristics
Performance
http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/publications/bulletins/september_2003/corrigendum_023918.cfm
| External images | |
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| Cutaway drawing of EC-135 | |
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