Airbus Helicopters announced on Friday that it has delivered the 7000th single-engine light helicopter from the Ecureuil family. The aircraft went to French-based company Blugeon Hélicoptères, which specializes in sling work at high altitudes. The Ecureuil flew for the first time in 1974 and is used primarily for aerial work, passenger transport, business flights, public services and emergency medical services (EMS).
“Designed to be a simple, practical, and competitive aircraft, the secret of its success lies in its excellent performance and its incredible ability to adapt to operators’ needs,” said Airbus Helicopters Light Helicopters program head Axel Aloccio. “It is precisely thanks to the confidence of operators like Blugeon that we are celebrating the milestone of the 7,000th delivery today.”
Airbus reports that Ecureuil family helicopters are currently operated by 2,014 customers in 124 countries worldwide. According to the company, the global fleet has logged more than 36 million flight hours to date. The Ecureuil family includes the H125, formerly called the AS350, and H130.
I got my first flight in a helicopter when I was 10 years old. The pilot put me in the co pilot seat. Felt like I could have fallen out of it and died. Great! Let’s do this again! If it wasn’t so bloody expensive, I would like to get an endorsement in one…..
“…is used primarily for aerial work, passenger transport, business flights, public services and emergency medical services (EMS).”
No fooling?
Kudos to it for being useful.
A tidy little machine. Though small for EMS.
(Known as ‘Squirrel’ (Ecuriel in French), ‘Squirrel’ 2 for the model 355 not mentioned, AStar and TwinStar in North America.
The 130 is a substantially different machine, Fenestron tail rotor and cabin is wider (I presume by the width of the centre windshield portion).
HS125 is the new name for the AS350.
AS550 Fennec and 555 Fennec are military versions (Fennec is a fox), some treaty or other requires different names for military versions.
The manufacturer now has other twins that buyers prefer.)
And in Green Dreams is testing of the smaller EC120 with a diesel engine.
“Future to the Back’ I say, turbines supplanted piston engines many decades ago because the weigh less, except in very small helicopters to get lower capital cost.
(Perhaps replace E with H for ones made in Communist China, but now Airbus calls it H120 having adopted H without C for all its models. Hey! car marketing types flip around, whey not aircraft makers? :-o)