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*Federal Police
*Federal Police
;{{BRA}}
;{{BRA}}
*[[Brazilian Federal Police]]
*[[Brazilian Military Police]]
*[[Brazilian Military Police]]
*[[Goiás Military Police]] <ref>[http://www.pm.go.gov.br Polícia Militar de Goiás website]</ref>
*[[Goiás Military Police]] <ref>[http://www.pm.go.gov.br Polícia Militar de Goiás website]</ref>

Revision as of 23:16, 10 March 2008

Template:Redirect6 Template:Infobox Aircraft

The Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil ("Squirrel") and AS 355 Ecureuil 2 are a family of light helicopters originally manufactured by Aérospatiale (now part of Eurocopter Group). The AS 350 (marketed as the AStar in North America) is the single-engined version, while the AS 355 (TwinStar) uses two engines. The EC 130B is a recent adaptation of the AS 350 airframe.

Design and development

Development began in the early 1970's to replace the Alouette II, and the first flight took place on 27 June 1974. [1] A twin-engined version, known as the Ecureuil 2, Twin Squirrel, or in North America as the Twin Star, first flew on 3 October 1979. Despite the introduction of the EC130, production of the Eurocopter AS 350 and AS 355, and the AS 550 and AS 555 Fennec military versions remains strong.

Both single and twin-engined versions have been built under licence in Brazil.

Operational history

On May 14, 2005 a standard-configured Ecureuil AS 350B3 piloted by Eurocopter test pilot Didier Delsalle touched down on the top of Mt. Everest, at 8 850 meters (29 035 feet) .[2] This record has been confirmed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. [3]

Variants

Single engine

A Canadian AS 350 AStar
Aérospatiale AS 350 B2
AS 350
Prototype.
AS 350 Firefighter
Fire fighting version.
AS 350B
Powered by one Turbomeca Arriel 1B engine.
AS 350B1
Powered by one Turbomeca Arriel 1D engine.
AS 350B2
Higher gross weight version powered by one Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine.
AS 350B3
High-performance version, is powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 2B engine equipped with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system.
AS 350BA
Powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 1B engine and fitted with wider chord main rotor blades.
AS 350BB
Powered by a derated Turbomeca Arriel engine to improve the helicopters life cycle.
Eurocopter Squirrel HT.1
Military version of the AS 350BB for the British RAF as a training helicopter.
Eurocopter Squirrel HT.2
Military version of the AS 350BB for the British Army Air Corps as a training helicopter.
AS 350C
Powered by one Lycoming LTS-101-600A2 engine for the North American market as the AStar.
AS 350D
Powered by one Lycoming LTS-101 engine for the North American market as the AStar.
AS 350L2
Military version, powered by a 546-kW (732-shp) Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 turboshaft engine.
HB 350B Esquilo
Unarmed military version for the Brazilian Air Force. Brazilian designations CH-50 and TH-50. Built under licence by Helibras in Brazil.
HB 350B1 Esquilo
Unarmed military version for the Brazilian Navy. Brazilian designation UH-12. Built under licence by Helibras in Brazil.
HB 350L1
Armed military version for the Brazilian Army. Brazilian designation HA-1. Built under licence by Helibas in Brazil.

Twin engine

AS 355F1 Ecureuil 2
AS 355
Prototype known as Ecureuil 2 or Twin Squirrel.
AS 355E
Initial production version, powered by two Allison 250 turboshaft engines. Known as the Twin Star in the United States and Canada.
AS 355F
Improved version, fitted with improved rotor blades and systems.
AS 355F1
Powered by the Allison C20F engine.
AS 355F2
Powered by the Allison C20F engine with uprated engine and transmission for M.T.O.W (2540 kg's) over the F1 series (2400kg's) and hydraulic accumulator for better tail rotor control.
AS 355M2
Armed version.
AS 355N Ecureuil 2
Version fitted with two Turbomeca Arrius 1A engines and a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system for better M.T.O.W (2600kg's) and better single engine performance. Known as the Twin Star in the United States.
AS 355NP
Introduced in 2007, this version is fitted with two Turbomeca Arrius 1A1 turboshaft engines and a new AS 350B3-based main gearbox, increasing maximum take-off weight to 2,800kg.[4]
HB.355F Ecureuil 2
Licence built in Brazil by Helibras.
HB.355N Ecureuil 2
Licence built in Brazil by Helibras.

Aftermarket conversions

Soloy Super D
AS350BA powered by an LTS101-600A-3A engine.
Soloy Super D2
AS350B2 powered by an LTS101-700D-2 engine.
Heli-Lynx 350FX1
AS350BA powered by an LTS101-600A-3A engine.
Heli-Lynx 350FX2
AS350BA or AS350B2 powered by an LTS101-700D-2 engine.
Otech AS350BA+
AS350BA powered by an LTS101-600A-3A engine [5].
Heli-Lynx 355FX1
Powered by the Allison C20F engine. FAA, TC, and EASA approved.
Heli-Lynx 355FX2
Powered by the Allison C20F engine. FAA,TC and EASA approved.
Heli-Lynx 355FX2R
Powered by the Allison C20R engine. FAA and TC approved.
Starflex AS355F1R
AS355F1 powered by the Allison C20R engine. FAA, TC and EASA approved.
Starflex AS355F2R
AS355F2 Powered by the Allison C20R engine with optimised tail rotor blades. FAA, TC and EASA approved.

Operators

Military operators

 Albania
 Algeria
 Australia
 Benin
 Botswana
 Brazil
 Burkina Faso
 Burundi
 Cambodia
 Canada
 Central African Republic
 Chile
 China
 Comoros
 Denmark
 Djibouti
 Ecuador
 France
 Gabon
 Guinea
 Jamaica
 Malawi
 Malaysia
 Mali
 Mauritius
 Mexico
 Morocco
 Nepal
 Paraguay
 Peru
 Rwanda
 Singapore
 Trinidad and Tobago
 Tunisia
 United Arab Emirates
 United Kingdom
 Uruguay
 Venezuela

Law Enforcement operators

San Bernardino County Sheriff's AS-350
 Austria
 Australia
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Federal Police
 Brazil
 Canada
 Ireland
 Morocco
 Netherlands
 New Zealand
 Norway
 Philippines
 South Africa
 Trinidad and Tobago
 United States

Civilian operators

 Australia
 Canada
 Germany
 Greenland
 Hungary
  • 3 AS350B in service with Hungarian Air Ambulance Service, all of them received general overhaul in 2005-2007.[10]
 Iceland
  • 1 AS350B2 is operated by Northflight, also do they have one more on its way.
 Puerto Rico
  • Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
 United Arab Emirates
 United Kingdom

Accidents and incidents

On 14 January 1986, French singer and songwriter Daniel Balavoine and Thierry Sabine, founder of the Dakar Rally, crashed into a dune during a sandstorm in Mali.

On 22 October 1996, Chelsea Football Club Vice Chairman Matthew Harding together with five companions were killed when their AS 355F1 Squirrel, registration G-CFLT, crashed near Middlewich, Cheshire.[11]

On July 27 2007, two AS 350's collided in mid-air while reporting a police pursuit.The two helicopters were part of KNXV-TV and KTVK television stations in Phoenix, Arizona. Four crew members were killed by this accident.[12]

On 15 September 2007, former World Rally Championship driver Colin McRae and three passengers were killed when his AS350B2 Squirrel,[13] which he was piloting, crashed near Lanark, Scotland.[14][15].

Specifications (AS350B3)

Data from {Original Ecureuil article}

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 6

Performance

References

  1. ^ http://62.160.110.229/jrotor/73/latinamerica.html#I0000f69b
  2. ^ http://www.everestnews.com/stories2005/everestcopter05272005.htm
  3. ^ Rotorcraft World Records [1]
  4. ^ Eurocopter Press Release - Eurocopter Upgrades Its Most Affordable Twin, The AS355 Ecureuil/TwinStar
  5. ^ Reyno, Mike, "Power Play", Vertical December 2006
  6. ^ Eurocopter Press Release - FB Heliservices Ltd. Clocks Up 250,000 Flight Hours With Eurocopter AS350 BB ‘Squirrel’ Fleet As Defence Helicopter Flying School Celebrates 10th Anniversary
  7. ^ Flugpolizei Website (German!)
  8. ^ Polícia Militar de Goiás website
  9. ^ LAPD Standardizes AS350B2s With Sagem Cockpit
  10. ^ OMSz Légimentõ Kht
  11. ^ "Pilot disorientated on impact". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  12. ^ http://www.abc15.com/content/aboutus/bios/story.aspx?content_id=cbbf03e0-247b-4b74-be7a-8c199c50d80d
  13. ^ Civil Aviation Authority
  14. ^ "Colin McRae feared dead in helicopter crash - police". Yahoo! News/AFP. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  15. ^ "Rally ace Colin McRae dies in helicopter crash". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2007-09-16.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eurocopter Ecureuil.

Related development

Related lists

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