Airbus H130 – Proof of a Good Pedigree

Some helicopter designs are so good that not only are they a great success in their own right – but they spawn a series of variants. One such is the Airbus H130, which is a very successful outgrowth of the original AS350 Ecureuil ‘Squirrel’.

- By Guy Leitch with Tami van Heerden and Howard Curran

The excellent DNA of the basic AS350 Ecureuil allowed it to grow into purpose-specific designs which, thanks to the AS350 pedigree, are still the best of breed. Realising that there was a large demand for helicopters with a large cabin for sight-seeing, the H130 was introduced in 1999 (named the EC130) as a wide-body version of the AS350.

The H130 was an immediate success and it continued with minimal changes until 2011 when in response to customer surveys, Eurocopter upgraded it as the H130 T2. The T2 featured active vibration control, a more powerful engine, upgraded gearbox, an improved environmental control system and a host of other improvements.

The big thing is the cabin. Compared to the AS350, the H130 provides a much wider and larger cabin volume. It has the largest cabin of any single engine helicopter in its class, with a claimed 54 per cent greater unobstructed space and 143 per cent more baggage space than its natural competitor – the Bell 407.

The larger cabin takes 13 knots from the AS350’s cruise speed, but this is a happy trade-off for sightseeing operations. In exchange for those 13 knots, the six passengers get an unsurpassed room with a view and it excels at creature comforts, thanks to its internal volume and a smooth and quiet ride.