EC145

[Savoia]

Felix Baumgartner tries out the EC145T2

Felix Baumgartner you say? Yes, the ex-Austrian Army parachutist who is now among the world's leading parachute stunt men and whose achievements include:

• The world record for the highest parachute jump from a building when he jumped from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1999
• First person to skydive across the English Channel using a specially made carbonfibre wing in 2003
• World record for the lowest BASE jump ever when he jumped 29 metres (95 ft) from the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro
• First person to BASE jump from the completed Millau Viaduct in France in 2004
• First person to skydive onto, then BASE jump from, the Turning Torso building in Malmö, Sweden, in 2006
• First person to jump from the 91st floor observation deck of the then-tallest completed building in the world, Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan in 2007

However, he is possibly best know for his jump from the Red Bull Stratos balloon when he set the world record for skydiving from an estimated 39 kilometres (24 miles) reaching a speed of approximately 1,357.64 kph (843.6 mph) or Mach 1.25, on 14 October 2012, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power.

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

EC145e Being Developed

Airbus Helicopters is developing a new variant of its EC145 specifically designed for the utility market. Known as the EC145e, the aircraft will offer an increased payload of 324 pounds (147 kilograms) over the standard EC145 utility configuration.

Airbus Helicopters, Inc. president and CEO Marc Paganini hinted at the aircraft’s development
 at the company’s press breakfast at Helicopter Association International’s Heli-Expo 2014, in Anaheim, Calif., when he told Vertical that the company had been looking at offering a more affordable medium-twin helicopter to suit the needs of utility and commercial operators.

“We [have] looked at this market; we think it is a very promising market,” he said at the event. “We are looking at the [EC]145 with a very simple interior . . . in order to be more competitive in terms of price, and deliver the aircraft that the utility operator needs for their mission.”



In technical data sheets released by the manufacturer, the EC145e, with the designation Bk117 C-2e, is described as a twin-engine, multi-purpose helicopter in the three-four ton class, with up to 12 seats for pilot/s and passengers. The aircraft, powered by two Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 engines, will be certified for single pilot VFR (visual flight rules) day/night operation with a new cockpit concept, increased payload, and increased pilot visibility.

The equipped empty weight of the EC145e is 4,156 lb. (1,885 kg), which allows for a payload of up to 2,031 lb. (921 kg). This compares with an equipped empty weight of the EC145 reference utility configuration of 4,486 lb. (2,034 kg), resulting in a payload of up to 1,707 lb. (775 kg).

The weight of the basic configuration of the EC145e has been kept minimal through the removal of items such as the tinted sun shades for the cockpit windshield roof section (saving 4.6 lb./2.1 kg), automatic flight control system (67.3 lb./30.5 kg), MEGHAS sensor kit (45.9 lb./20.8 kg) and the co-pilot flight controls (14.6 lb./6.6 kg).

The slimmed-down instrument panel for single pilot operation will have the Garmin G500H as primary flight displays and multifunction display, suited with two 6.5-inch LCD displays. The GPS and communication functions are provided by a Garmin GTN 650, while the central panel display system, consisting of two additional LCD displays, includes Airbus Helicopters’ first limit indicator. The manufacturer said this system simplifies engine and torque monitoring, allowing pilots to dedicate more of their attention to the mission requirements.

Optional equipment will include a rescue hoist, internal long-range fuel tank, and cargo hook. “The EC145e is ready to take diverse missions ranging from firefighting support to internal and external load transport, or passenger transport,” the technical data sheet states.

The aircraft successfully performed flight tests
in August 2013, and European Aviation safety Agency (EASA) and United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification 
is expected by the third quarter of this year, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter.

http://www.verticalmag.com/news/arti...U3mmotKSwnk

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

EC145T2 First Delivery

[HeliHub News]

Bond Receives First UK EC145T2

Bond Air Services has taken delivery of the first EC145T2 in the UK, serial no. 20012, which arrived by air on a German test registration D-HADM.

This helicopter has since been registered with the UK CAA as G-HEMC and would be ordinarily expected to go through various certification and paperwork exercises before commencing commercial operation – particularly as the first of type in the UK.


Bond receives the UK's first EC145T2

There are three known EC145T2s due in the UK, one for East Anglian Air Ambulance, which they announced in November 2011 with the expectation of the aircraft being in service for December 2013. The other two expected EC145T2s in the UK are for the Scottish Air Ambulance, announced June 2012 as due in 2014. It thus seems logical to assume the first delivery is for East Anglian Air Ambulance.

http://helihub.com/2014/11/18/bond-t...ec145t2-in-uk/

[Savoia]

TC-HLD