Eurocopter EC130

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The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) EC130 is a single engine light helicopter developed from the AS350 Ecureuil by Eurocopter Group (now Airbus Helicopters).

Design and development

The EC130 is a wide body variant of the AS350 B3 and was first flown on 24 June 1999 by Australian test pilot, Steven Page. The EC130 features an enclosed tail fan rather than the traditional tail rotor found on the older AS350. This Fenestron has unevenly spaced blades which has the advantage of reducing outside noise by 50% compared to a tail rotor, resulting in an FAA Appendix H fly-over noise signature of 84.3 EPNdB, 8.5 dB below stage two limits. The EC130 was designed in close cooperation with tour operators, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters being the launch operator, and features a spacious cockpit with excellent external visibility, capable of accommodating seven tourists. The EC130 entered service with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters in 2001, and is now a common sight in Hawaii and the Grand Canyon.

The EC130 is also quickly becoming popular within the air medical services (AMS) community, due to its large cabin (capable of accommodating one or two stretchers), wide side door and enclosed Fenestron anti-torque device.

In 2012, Eurocopter received orders for 50 EC130T2 from Maverick Helicopters, and other customers such as Papillon and Blue Hawaiian took the total to 105.[2]

Variants

Johann Lafer Heli Gourmet EC130
Helibrás EC130 B4.
Skyheli Ltd EC130
EC130 B4 used by Liberty Helicopters, New York.
EC130 B4
basic version.
EC130T2

Upgraded airframe, engines (Turbomecca Ariel 2D), and increased performance.

Operators

 Australia
  • 12 Apostles Helicopters[3]
 Brazil
 Bangladesh
  • R&R Aviation[5]
 Canada
 Monaco
 New Zealand
  • Over The Top Helicopters [9]
 Netherlands
 Portugal
  • Helibravo Helicopters[11]
 United Arab Emirates
 United States

Specifications (EC130 B4)

Data from {Eurocopter EC130 B4 2008 tech data book}

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1 (pilot in left seat)
  • Capacity: 6 passengers (2 at front and four at back) can be modified to take 7 passengers (3 at front and four at back)
  • Length: 10.68 m (35 ft)
  • Rotor diameter: 10.69 m (35 ft 1in)
  • Height: 3.34 m (10 ft 11 in)
  • Empty weight: 1,377 kg (3,036 lbs)
  • Useful load: 1,050 kg (2,315 lbs)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 2,427 kg (5,351 lbs)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 turboshaft, 632 kW (847 shp)

Performance

  • Never exceed speed: 287 km/h (155 knots, 178 mph)
  • Cruise speed: 240 km/h (130 knots, 150 mph)
  • Range: 610 km (329 nm, 378 mi)
  • Service ceiling: : 4,770 m (15,655 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 9.0 m/s (1,770 ft/min)

Avionics
Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD) with First Limit Indicator (FLI) fitted as standard.

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. ↑ "EC 130 stats". eurocopter.com. Retrieved 3 April 2013. 
  2. ↑ Moorman, Robert. "Recovery: Real or imagined ?" p30, Rotor & Wing, March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "12 Apostles Helicopters". 
  4. ↑ "Começa a operar hoje o novo EC130 do Estado do Paraná". aereo.jor.br. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  5. ↑ "Bangladesh receive s delivery of EC130". asianmilitaryreview.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Ontario Ministry Of Natural Resources Aviation Dept". mnr.gov.on.ca. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Silverline Helicopter Fleet". silverlinehelicopters.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Heli Air Monaco History". heliairmonaco.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  9. ↑ "Over The Top fleet". flynz.co.nz. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Heli Holland Helicopter Fleet". heliholland.nl. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  11. ↑ "Helibravo Helicopter fleet". 
  12. ↑ "FAS Eurocopter EC-130B4". falconaviation.ae. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  13. ↑ "American Eurocopter delivers 3,000th aircraft". eurocopterusa.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  14. ↑ "Air tour operator Blue Hawaiian is the launch customer for the much touted EC-130B4". bluehawaiian.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  15. ↑ "The Sheriff’s helicopters". eurocopter.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  16. ↑ "Upgrades To Long Beach Police Helicopters May Fly". gazettes.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 
  17. ↑ "Papillon fleet". papillon.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013. 

External links

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