Eurocopter EC135
Encyclopedia
The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...

 services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....

 (IFR).

Development

The EC135 can trace its history back to before the formation of Eurocopter. It was started as the BO 108 by MBB of Germany in the mid-eighties. A technology demonstrator ('V1') flew for the first time on 17 October 1988, powered by two Allison
Allison Engine Company
The Allison Engine Company was a U.S. aircraft engine manufacturer. In 1929, shortly after the death of James Allison, the company was purchased by the Fisher brothers. Fisher sold the company to General Motors, who owned it for most of its history...

 250-C20R
Rolls-Royce Model 250
|-External links:*...

/1 engines. A second BO 108 ('V2') followed on 5 June 1991, this time with two Turboméca
Turbomeca
Turbomeca is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power gas turbine turboshaft engines for helicopters. The company also produces gas turbine engines for aircraft and missiles, as well as turbines for land, industrial and marine applications...

 TM319-1B Arrius engines. Both these machines had a conventional tail rotor.
In late 1992, the design was revised with the introduction of the Fenestron
Fenestron
A Fenestron is a shrouded tail rotor of a helicopter that is essentially a ducted fan. The housing is integral with the tail skin, and, like the conventional tail rotor it replaces, is intended to counteract the torque of the main rotor...

tail rotor system, reflecting the creation of Eurocopter that year through the merger of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) and Aérospatiale. The combination of lower accident potential from the enclosed rotor, and interior space, have made the EC135 popular with aeromedical helicopter operators. The EC135 is the best selling light twin of the past 10 years.

Two pre-production prototypes were built. They flew on 15 February and 16 April 1994, testing the Arrius 2B and Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada is a Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer. PWC's headquarters are in Longueuil, Quebec, just outside Montreal. It is a division of the larger US-based Pratt & Whitney , itself a business unit of United Technologies...

 PW206B engines, the older and less powerful Allison Model 250 powerplant having been rejected. A third helicopter followed on 28 November 1994.

Operational history

The EC135 made its US debut at the Heli-Expo in January 1995 at Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. After over 1,600 flight hours, European JAA
Joint Aviation Authorities
The Joint Aviation Authorities, or JAA, was an associated body of the ECAC representing the civil aviation regulatory authorities of a number of European States who had agreed to co-operate in developing and implementing common safety regulatory standards and procedures...

 certification was achieved on 16 June 1996, with FAA approval following on 31 July. Deliveries started on 1 August, when two helicopters (0005 and 0006) were handed over to Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht. The 100th EC135 was handed over to the Bavarian police force in June 1999. By that time the worldwide fleet had accumulated approximately 30,000 flight hours. As of 2008, the fleet total stood at over 1 million flight hours, with over 650 aircraft delivered.

Single-pilot IFR (SPIFR) certification was granted by the German LBA on 2 December 1999. Deliveries to the German Aviators Corps began on 13 September 2000 at the German Army Aviators School
German Army Aviators School
The German School of Army Aviation based at Bückeburg, is one of the schools of the German Army and is responsible for the training and development of the German Army Aviation Corps' personnel and equipment...

 at Bückeburg Air Base
Bückeburg Air Base
Bückeburg Air Base is located northeast of the city of Bückeburg, Lower Saxony, Germany....

 near Achum, Germany. The EC135 received SPIFR certification from the UK CAA
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority
The Civil Aviation Authority is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the United Kingdom. The CAA head office is located in the CAA House on Kingsway in Holborn, London Borough of Camden...

 in December 2000.

In autumn 2000, Eurocopter announced the start of certification work for the Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada is a Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer. PWC's headquarters are in Longueuil, Quebec, just outside Montreal. It is a division of the larger US-based Pratt & Whitney , itself a business unit of United Technologies...

 PW206B2, a version of the PW207 which offers improved single-engine performance and 30 second emergency power. The LBA
Luftfahrt-Bundesamt
The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt is the national civil aviation authority of Germany headquartered in Braunschweig...

 certification was achieved on 10 July 2001, and the first EC135 with the new engines was handed over to the Swedish National Police on 10 August 2001.

The world fleet leader in aircraft hours for this type is G-NESV (s/n 0067) operated by Cleveland Police
Cleveland Police
Cleveland Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the area of former county of Cleveland in north east England. The Cleveland Police area covers approximately and has a population of over 554,000....

 Air Operations Unit based at Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...

, UK. This aircraft was originally delivered to the North East Air Support Unit
North East Air Support Unit
The North East Air Support Unit is the main aerial support for police forces in north east England.- History :The North East Air Support Unit was formed in 1995 by joint venture of Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria police forces...

 in April 1999, and by 2009 it had clocked up almost 12,000 hours.

At the NBAA in March 2007 in Atlanta, Eurocopter unveiled ‘L’Hélicoptère par Hermès, a special-edition VIP model designed by Hermès International, S.A.
Hermès
Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès is a French high fashion house established in 1837, today specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear...

. This variant features a specially-created luxury four-place main cabin, a sliding glass partition, a corporate baggage hold, redesigned skid landing gear and other external changes. Launch customer for ‘L’Hélicoptère par Hermès is Falcon Aviation Services
Falcon Aviation Services
Falcon Aviation Services is a VVIP charter airline based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It operates business jet and helicopter charter services, MRO services, aircraft management, consulting, Oil and Gas support, as well as, search and rescue operations for the United Arab Emirates Armed...

 (FAS), based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

2011, Eurocopter entered the Chinese business market licensing the Zhong-Ou International Group to produce the EC135 Luxury Helicopter in the Zhejiang province.

Offshore Wind Support

In March 2009 the EC135 was the first aircraft selected for offshore wind support in the UK after the UK Civil Aviation Authority approved helicopter operations to the Greater Gabbard
Greater Gabbard
Greater Gabbard is a 500 MW wind farm under construction on sandbanks off the coast of Suffolk in England at a cost between £650 million to £1.5 billion...

 offshore wind farm. The EC135 had already been used for some time in Denmark, supporting the Horns Rev offshore wind farm where over 10,000 successful personnel transfers have taken place.

Variants

EC135 P1 :Powered by two 463 kW (621 shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B. Later versions have the Center Panel Display System (CPDS). Initial maximum take-off weight (M.T.O.W.) of 2,631 kg (5,800 lbs), later raised to 2,721 kg (6,000 lbs) and then 2,835 kg (6,250 lbs).
EC135 T1 :Powered by two 435 kW (583 shp) Turbomeca Arrius 2B1/2B1A/2B1A1. Later versions have the CPDS. Initial M.T.O.W. of 2,631 kg (5,800 lbs), later raised to 2,721 kg (6,000 lbs) and then 2,835 kg (6,250 lbs).
EC135 P2 :Powered by two 463 kW (621 shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2. Increased thermodynamic and mechanic OEI ratings (128% OEI torque). Replaced EC135 P1 in production in August 2001.
EC135 T2 :Powered by two 452 kW (606 shp) Turbomeca Arrius 2B2. Increased thermodynamic and mechanic OEI ratings (128% OEI torque). Replaced EC135 T1 in production in August 2002.
EC135 P2+ :Latest production version with 498 kW (667 shp) PW206B2 (new power ratings based on a FADEC
FADEC
Full Authority Digital Engine Control is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an electronic engine controller or engine control unit , and its related accessories that control all aspects of aircraft engine performance...

 software upgrade), plus a 2,910 kg (6,415 lbs) M.T.O.W. upgrade, extended component time between overhaul
Time between overhaul
One important measure of an aircraft engine's overall economics is how often it has to be overhauled, the so-called time between overhaul, typically seen as TBO or TBOH....

 (TBOs), and a change in the main transmission lubricating oil. Built in Germany and Spain.
EC135 T2+ :Latest production version with 473 kW (634 shp) Arrius 2B2 engines (new power ratings based on a FADEC software upgrade), plus a 2,910 kg (6,415 lbs) M.T.O.W. upgrade, extended component TBOs, and a change in the main transmission lubricating oil. Built in Germany and Spain.
EC135 P2i :Marketing designation of aircraft upgraded to (rather than built to) EC135 P2+ standard.
EC135 T2i :Marketing designation of aircraft upgraded to (rather than built to) EC135 T2+ standard.
EC 635 :Military variant operated by Jordan and Swiss Air Force
Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...


Operators

The EC135 is popular with air charter companies, air ambulance operators and is operated by private individuals and companies.

Notable accidents and incidents

  • A LifeNet EC135 P2 operated by Air Methods Corporation
    Air Methods
    Air Methods, Corp. is the largest publicly owned emergency medical services helicopter operator in the United States, with a fleet of over 300 medical transport helicopters that average 85,000 transports and 100,000 flight hours per year as of December 2006....

     crashed on 10 January 2005 after delivering a patient in Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

    , killing the pilot and a paramedic, also seriously injuring a nurse. The wreckage of the helicopter was recovered from the Potomac River
    Potomac River
    The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

    . The National Transportation Safety Board
    National Transportation Safety Board
    The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...

     (NTSB) concluded a probable cause of controlled flight into terrain
    Controlled flight into terrain
    Controlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...

     (CFIT)

  • An Air Methods Corporation
    Air Methods
    Air Methods, Corp. is the largest publicly owned emergency medical services helicopter operator in the United States, with a fleet of over 300 medical transport helicopters that average 85,000 transports and 100,000 flight hours per year as of December 2006....

     EC135 T2+ crashed into a wooded hillside during a night flight on 10 May 2008 near La Crosse, Wisconsin. The pilot along with a doctor and a nurse were killed.

  • An EC135 owned by Services Group of America crashed on 14 February 2010, near Cave Creek, Arizona
    Cave Creek, Arizona
    Cave Creek is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona in the United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town was 4,951.-Geography:...

    , killing all five on board. Witnesses reported hearing popping noises, and seeing debris falling before the helicopter spun two or three times, banked sharply and fell 200 or 300 feet, nose-first, into a desert wash.

Specifications (EC135 P2+/T2+)

See also

External links

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