Airbus Helicopters H130

Airbus Helicopters H130
An Airbus Helicopters H130 at Zagreb Airport
Type:	Light multipurpose helicopter
Design country:	Germany France
Manufacturer:	Airbus Helicopters
First flight:	June 24, 1999
Commissioning:	2001
Production time:	In series production since 1999
Number of pieces:	630 (as of October 2017)

The Airbus Helicopters H130 is an up to eight-seat, single-engine helicopter with turbine drive from the European manufacturer Airbus Helicopters , formerly Eurocopter .

development

The cockpit of an EC 130

ACH130 from Airbus Corporate Helicopters

The H130 was developed to expand the AS-350 series . Its official name is therefore AS 350 B4, as its approval is based on the AS 350 B3, whose main rotor system has been adopted. In particular, the development of noise came to the fore, as some touristically interesting areas were not allowed to be flown over by the previous helicopters due to the development of noise. The first feasibility studies took place in 1998. It turned out that an asymmetrical Fenestron together with a variable rotor speed enables a corresponding noise reduction without the need for costly new developments.

The approval by the FAA took place on December 14th, 2000, by the JAA on December 21st, 2000. The starting customer in 2001 was the airline Blue Hawaiian Helicopters , which received a pre-production copy in February 2001. The base price was US $ 1.6 million in 2002 and around US $ 3.1 million in 2010. The series machines were delivered from September 2001. In December 2004 the 100th machine was handed over to a customer. In February 2012 Eurocopter announced the development of the EC130 T2. The further development of the basic version has a modified engine with lower consumption and longer maintenance intervals with higher power at the same time (max continuous 850 hp, take-off power around 950 hp). The fuselage of the helicopter has been redesigned by 70%, in particular to eliminate problems with deformations of the old version (e.g. warped doors).

technology

The H130 has a three-blade main rotor and a Fenestron as the tail rotor . It is driven by a single turbine equipped with a digital control system ( FADEC - Full Authority Digital Engine Control), offers space for 7–8 people and has a newly developed landing gear that suppresses resonance phenomena more effectively than before. Technically, the machine is based on the Eurocopter AS 350 , but has a larger cabin that is air-conditioned . The first flight took place on June 24, 1999.

As a special feature, the flight control system allows the main rotor speed to be reduced in order to reduce noise development during flight. At 84.3 EPNdB , it falls below the GCNP limit ( Grand Canyon National Park ) by 0.5 dB. For comparison: a modern Boeing 737-800 jet causes 79.1 dB, the standard aircraft for private aviation, the Cessna 172 with modern noise protection, 66 dB.

Technical specifications

Parameter	H130	H130 T2
Main rotor diameter	10.69 m
Tail rotor diameter	1 m
length	12.64 m
Hull length	10.68 m
height	3.61 m
Width (with skids)	3.04 m
Cargo space	3.7 m³
Maximum take-off weight	2427 kg
with external load	2800 kg
Engine	1 × Turboméca Arriel 2B1 with 632 kW	1 × Turbomeca Arriel 2D with 710 kW
Maximum cruising speed	240 km / h
Top speed	287 km / h
Service ceiling	5029 m
Range	640 km

Comparable helicopter types

• Bell 407
• MD 600N
• Agusta A119

See also

• List of helicopter types

Web links

Commons : Airbus Helicopters H130 Ecureuil  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the H130 at Airbus (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ H130. Airbus.com , accessed October 11, 2017 . 
2. ↑ eurocopterusa.com: Eurocopter unveils its new EC130 T2 with optimized performance, comfort and mission diversity , from February 12, 2012