Rotor & Wing's Operators' Report: The AS350 -- Versatility And Power

Operators like the AS350's performance and its ability to do a variety of

missions. They still want Eurocopter and Turbomeca to do a better job on product

support. And some worry about its hydraulics system.

By Ernie Stephens and James T. McKenna

In Eurocopter's AS350, operators find an aircraft that can perform a

great variety of missions, carry a multitude of equipment for them, and provide

significant power in the process, even during hot and high conditions.

Like many helicopters today, it holds its value well on the used market.

However, some find the light single's transition from hover to landing

can be tricky. Others fret about its flight characteristics when the hydraulic

boost on its flight controls fail. And few people are happy about the customer

support from Eurocopter and its main engine supplier, Turbomeca, although that

seems to be changing -- at least for Eurocopter.

Those are among the findings of this newest special feature, Rotor &

Wing's Operators' Report on the family of aircraft known as the Ecureuil,

Squirrel, and, perhaps, most commonly, the AStar. This is the first in an

ongoing series of reports focusing on particular aircraft types or families.

Our objective with these reports is to provide a comprehensive picture of

the rotorcraft in service today by talking with those who know them best: their

owners, operators, pilots, and mechanics. We'll share their thoughts on the

type's pluses and minuses, its utility and customer support, the modifications

available for it, and the plans and options available to improve it from its

manufacturer, major component makers, and outside vendors. We want to give you a

clear picture of what it is like and what it costs to operate the type and its

various models.

To sum up the results of this, our first Operators' Report, operators

consider the AS350 a great little aircraft.

You can find out more about the origin of the AStar in a separate story

on page A6 ("An Alouette Successor. . ."). Here, meet the AS350, with the B2 as

an introduction.

Like the other models, the AS350B2 runs 42.45 ft (12.94 m) from main-

rotor tip to the upper tip of the vertical stabilizer. From nose to tail, the

airframe is 35.86 ft (10.93 m) long. The top of the Starflex main-rotor hub is a

half an inch shy of 11 ft tall (3.34 m). Standard skids put the belly just under

2 ft (0.59 m) off the deck. Those skids are 7.48 ft (2.28 m) wide; the exterior

of the cabin is 6.14 ft (1.87 m) wide.

Inside, the passenger compartment is 5.41 ft (1.65 m) wide and 6.56 ft.

(2 m) deep. The section behind the pilot's seat is 2.95 ft deep. The cabin is

4.26 ft (1.3 m) tall at its highest point. Three cargo compartments -- a large

port-side one, a smaller starboard one, and one at the rear -- provide 35.3 cu

ft (1 cu m) of space; the rear compartment is biggest, at 19.95 cu ft (0.565 cu

m).

The aircraft is designed to carry one pilot and five passengers in a

standard configuration. It can be set up in a "comfort" version that seats 4-5

passengers or a high-density one that seats six. In its medevac version, it is

set up to carry one pilot and two medical crewmembers, plus a patient on a

stretcher. Set up to fly cargo, it has 105.9 cu ft (3 cu m) of cargo space,

according to Eurocopter.

The B2 standard fuel tank carries 143 gal (540 l) of fuel; an optional