Eurocopter EC130 Specs, Interior, Cockpit, and Price

Eurocopter EC130 Specs, Interior, Cockpit, and Price – The EC130 is a lightweight single-engine multi-mission helicopter from the Ecureuil (Squirrel) helicopter family produced by Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopter). This helicopter made its first flight on June 24, 1999 and entered service in June 2001 with customers launching the Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, based in Hawaii. The 100th EC130 helicopter was sent in December 2004 to Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates of California.

Eurocopter EC130 Specs

The EC130 helicopter is based on a proven AS350 B3 design and uses many major components such as the main fuselage, mechanical assembly, main rotor, engine and command control. The EC130 fuselage and main rotorhead are made of fiberglass and high tensile strength aramid material. The main rotors are made of composite materials. Cowlings are made of carbon fiber to achieve low weight. The aircraft hull is made of high strength chemical beams, not welded metal. Overall, the dimensions of the EC130 include a length of 10.68 m, a rotor diameter of 10.69 m, and a height of 3.34 m. The helicopter has an empty weight of 1,377 kg and a maximum take-off weight of 2,427 kg.

Tailboom is equipped with additional blast protection that protects the tail rotor drive. There is an additional layer of protective cover between the blast shield and the drive shaft cover. The top of the tail rotor is the operational wing
creating lift along the leading edge and pulling the helicopter's tail to the right flight position. The main difference between the EC130 made in France and the German-made AS350 is that it has Fenestron instead of conventional tail rotors and rotor blades that rotate in the opposite direction.

The use of Fenestron rotors ensures that the noise level of the helicopter is 7dB below the level of Chapter 8 ICAO. Fanestron rotors have an array of ten blades arranged asymmetrically and placed at different intervals which substantially reduce helicopter noise. Conventionally the helicopter, most of the noise comes from the tail rotor but, with the Fenestron rotor, the main sources of noise on the EC130 are engine exhaust and blade tip noise.

The EC130 helicopter features a larger landing fairing gear than the previous Ecureuil design, which helps stabilize the rear end of the helicopter and also creates an elevator under the aircraft. The articulated landing gear is similar to the EC120. There are two landing stands on the front and one for the back. The natural harmonic resonance frequencies of the landing gear are at very different frequencies from the aircraft harmonics, so that the ground resonance is almost eliminated.

Eurocopter EC130 Engine and Performance

The EC130 helicopter is powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 turboshaft engine which produces an output power of 632 kW. This machine is equipped with dual channel Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC) with a single analog backup. The helicopter is equipped with a high level of redundancy built into the flight system. There are two flight computers, some engine sensors and measuring valves equipped with dual stepper motors on a common shaft.

The EC130 helicopter can fly at a cruising speed of 240 km / h and cover a range of up to 640 km. The service ceiling is 7,010 m. The helicopter has a climbing rate of 9.0 m / s. The helicopter's fuel capacity is 540 l.

Eurocopter EC130 Cabin and Interior

The EC130 cab has a width of 2.05 m with 10% more cabin space allowing seating to be arranged as a four-transverse rear seat with two or three passenger seats at the front. In the cargo transport configuration, helicopters can carry pilots and cargo with a volume of 3.7 m³, and carry 1,160 kg attached to the external sling.

For medical evacuation, EC130 can comfortably transport up to two stretcher patients and two doctors or medical staff. The cabin is equipped with an air conditioning system that has air intake installed in the trunk compartment door and an air conditioning unit mounted on the tail boom.

Eurocopter EC130 Cockpit and Avionics

The EC130 cockpit is integrated with conventional collective control which includes a Vehicle and Engine Management Display (VEMD) and the first flight limit indicator that combines three torque, true heading (T4) and gas generator rpm (Ng). This is intended to reduce the workload of pilots. This helicopter is equipped with a Honeywell proximity proximity warning system that is integrated with the Garmin 430 global positioning system and KMD-550 flight display to provide three-dimensional terrain images.

Eurocopter EC130 Price

The price of an EC130 helicopter is around US $ 3.3 million. To date, more than 700 EC130 helicopters have been produced and are operating with various operators throughout the world.