Airbus H130 - tourist exemplar

There are many types of helicopters. Some carry cargo, some carry equipment, others, weapons, but the most beloved are passenger machines. And the most beloved of the passenger ones are those that can not only take you to your destination, but also give positive emotions. And one of these favorites is the brainchild of French engineering, which has become one of the most popular European helicopters of our time. Hello, Vadersky here, and today I will show you a flying observation deck, the Airbus H130. The history of this fairly new helicopter begins quite a long time ago. Once upon a time, in the bright French skies of the 1970s, there lived the Aerospatiale AS350 Ecugole. The Squirrel is a light, single-engine helicopter, economical, reliable and functional. The helicopter, by the way, is so successful that more than 7000 units have seen the sky, and production continues to this day under the H125 index. At the dawn of their conquest of the sky, Aerospatiale, seeing the potential of their beloved apparatus, were looking for new opportunities for it. There were many options, and several machines were quickly turned into a kind of flying labs, on which everything was being worked out, from small innovations to power plants and layout solutions. First of all, Fenestrons, an unusual version of the tail rotor, which the French really liked, and spread to different machines. These games lasted quite a long time, and their results were used on different helicopters of the company, but there was no direct implementation of a new machine, based on the AS350. In the 1990s, Aerospatiale became the part of newly minted association of European helicopter companies, giving life to the Eurocopter giant. Eurocopter also thought for a long time where to direct the development of the AS350, and they came up with an unusual concept. They were actively assisted in this matter by potential operators, the main of which was Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, a large helicopter company engaged in air tours. Their main wish was simple, more seats, more space, better visibility. And the manufacturer heard the wishes. The endless experiments were completed, and the most optimal solutions were assembled in a machine very similar to the original version, but adapted to carry more passengers with a better level of comfort. This adaptation resulted in a large and wide glazed cabin, able to comfortably accommodate six to seven passengers. This decision made the helicopter recognizable, it looks like a tadpole, with a glass bubble instead of a regular cockpit. Soon this tadpole was named Eurocopter EC-130, and in 1999 its prototype made its first flight. Serial deliveries began in 2001 to the fleet of Blue Hawaiian. Many companies that were cautious at the beginning, saw the potential of the new machine rather quickly and began to order it. In the decade after the start of production, the demand for the EC-130 was constantly growing, and it soon began shamelessly pushing out the old timers. In 2012, Eurocopter introduced an updated version, the EC-130 T2, which introduced many changes not immediately noticeable, but quite useful in terms of operation and performance. In 2014, after Eurocopter was reorganized and renamed Airbus Helicopters, the rebranding swept through its entire lineup, including the Eurocopter EC-130 model, which has now become the Airbus H-130. Okay, enough stories, let's take a closer look at it. So, the H-130 is for the most part a classic modern helicopter. Fuselage length 10.68 meters, height 3.34 meters, a small machine. Empty weight is slightly less than 1.4 tons, with a maximum takeoff of 2.5 tons. When hanging in external load, the maximum weight can be increased to 3 tons. The increase in comparison with the Progenitor is small, a couple of hundred kilos. It is lighter than machines such as the AW119 or Bell 407, but much heavier than, for example, the Bell 206. This weight is supported by a skid landing gear, a classic for machines of this size, simple and reliable, and with a footboard, it is comfortable to get on and off. The main rotor, 10.69 meters in diameter, is equipped with three composite blades with hingeless elastomer mounting. Starflex is a simple and reliable design, without clutter of parts, which is easier and cheaper to maintain. The tail rotor is a Fenestron, of course. In the center of the ring, a niche with a mechanism for transmitting rotation to the screw is rigidly fixed. Aerodynamic elements diverge from it like a star, directing the airflow formed by an 8-blade fan. The Fenestron ring is surrounded by fairings and integrated into the tail boom. Together with the hefty fin, all this beauty looks rather bulky, but considering that most of it is composite, all this in fact is far from being as heavy as it seems. The main bonus of the Fenestron here is convenience and safety on the ground and in the air, and most importantly, a significant reduction in noise level. The H130 is the quietest in its class, and this is a big bonus for it, given that it flies mainly over noise-limited areas, cities and nature parks. A small horizontal stabilizer is added to the empennage. Everything is classic. When choosing a powerplant, the helicopter builders followed the idea of achieving a fairly large thrust-to-weight ratio, especially when flying in hot and high-altitude conditions. The choice fell on the Ariel 2D turboshaft engine from Turbomeca, the current Safran helicopter engines. The engine is already well-deserved and very efficient, and with its modest dimensions and weight, it produces as much as 952 horsepower in take-off mode, which is quite enough to carry a three-ton machine on its own. The engine is located under the fairing behind the main rotor. Curiously, the air intake is not in front or on the sides as usual, but on top. Such a design, coupled with a filtration system, protects the engine from dust, sand and other foreign substances, which turboshafts do not like very much. It may seem to someone that this is too tricky, and the air intake is right here. But no, the air coming from the front is used to operate the cooling system and air conditioning. The engine exhaust is very hot, and so that it would not burn the tail boom, the nozzle was bent, directing the jet higher, and on the boom itself, a heat-resistant metal plate was installed. This whole set allows the H-130 to fly at speeds up to 155 knots, but this is the maximum. A cruise of 128 knots is not a very high figure, but it is quite enough for this class. Meanwhile, the range stretches up to 327 miles, nearly 600 kilometers. The main feature of the H-130 is its enlarged fuselage, and as a result, a hefty cabin, with the largest internal volume of any single-engine helicopter. The cabin has two rows, and in the base, it assumes a scheme, three seats in front, one of which is the pilot's seat, plus four seats in the back, six passengers. The tourist version of a higher density allows the placement of four seats in front, the pilot's seat in its place, and three passenger seats in the checkboard pattern to its right. The result is seven passengers. Not many light helicopters can accommodate so many people. There are many other layouts. You can remove the passenger seats completely and get an empty volume with the pilot's seat, and put for example medical equipment and a stretcher in the free space. A flying ambulance is a rather popular role for this machine. The controls of the H-130 have received a lot of attention. A lot. The helicopter is equipped with a duplicated hydraulic system, the engine has FedEc, the autopilot works, and the interface can be enhanced with Garmin piloting systems. The level of automation is very high, the H-130 is considered one of the tops in the class in its parameters. Some people throw comments that the pilots in this helicopter are simply operators, and without all this automation, the helicopter will not fly at all. That is, standard comments about Airbus vehicles. But even if that's the case, no one can deny that the H-130 is very reliable, comfortable, and easy to pilot. Simple enough for one person to handle. Yes, the helicopter is designed for one pilot. The pilot himself is located here on the left, unusual for a European helicopter. This was done on purpose. Passengers in the front row sit on the right, and they do not have access to control instruments, so that, just in case, no one could accidentally put their foot on the collective lever. Nevertheless, the multifunctionality was not forgotten. The helicopter and its onboard equipment can be easily customized for a wide range of tasks, whether it is a VIP transport, a tourist helicopter, a police, a medical one, or any other that allow placement of a co-pilot on the right. The main bonus in the comfort of flying on this machine is of course the widest glazing, which gives a gorgeous view of the surroundings. It is this, coupled with the capacity, that has made the H-130 an exemplary tourist helicopter. Considering that the seams here are quite rare, the view is really excellent. From the front row, it seems as if you are flying in a glass ball, an unusual feeling. There are also many additional comfort tools. There is an active noise and vibration absorption system, which makes the flight much more convenient for passengers, and an air conditioning system that allows them to breathe easier and fly higher. The H-130 is capable of hovering at altitudes up to 3 km in clear skies, and up to 3.5 km if, for example, there are mountains below it. The practical ceiling is as much as 7 km, although no one flies that high. The luggage compartment of the helicopter is also quite large. More precisely, compartments. There are two of them, on each side behind the cabin. Plus, there is a small compartment in the tail, but it usually contains electric parts, so you can't put much there. The layout that is used on this machine and on its relatives is quite successful in terms of safety. The cabin with people in front is spacious and light, and the engine, fuel and mechanisms are behind it. So, if the helicopter suddenly makes a hard landing, the passengers may get hit with plastic trim elements, while the mountain of metal will fall on the luggage. The volumes of production and deliveries of the H-130 are very decent. The helicopter turned out to be very successful and is being actively sold all over the world. By 2022, since 1999, more than 700 helicopters of this model have been produced, which fly in the fleets of about 390 operators from 65 countries. Not bad at all. The H-130 is a rather young helicopter, but in its lifetime it has already managed to win the love of many people, who had the pleasure of working with it and flying it. We wish it good luck, further development and many years of successful flights without incident, only with beautiful views. And with that, the story can be concluded. Like and subscribe to the channel, lovers of everything flying. 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