Design and Development
The EC130 is a wide body variant of the AS350 B3, and was first flown on 24 June 1999. 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 with 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.
Read more about this topic: Eurocopter EC130
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