Photo: Airbus
Thanks to today’s technology advancements, an apparently simple upgrade that can be completed in hours can take a helicopter to an impressive level of performance. That’s the case for Airbus’ H125s that got a significant power increase through the retrofit of their Vehicle and Engine Multifunctional Display (VEMD).
Swiss operator Air Zermatt started out with just one helicopter in 1968 and eventually grew its fleet to 11 helicopters and extended its operations from search-and-rescue missions to sightseeing flights, taxi flights, heli-skiing, and more.
One of the company’s most challenging operations are in the construction field where the overall capacity is one of a helicopter’s most important capabilities. This is where the newly-upgraded H125 showed its great value. It can now carry up to 125 kg (275.5 lb) in the cabin and 145 kg (319 lb) on the sling.
Considering that the typical altitude for the Air Zermatt helicopters ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 meters (6,560-13,123 feet), the increased capacity is impressive.
This is possible thanks to a software change to the VEMD that allows the H125 to use its engine power to the full extent. This particular upgrade is available on all baseline H125 helicopters and as a retrofit on the H125s equipped with an Arriel 2D engine. Gerold Biner, Air Zermatt CEO and a pilot himself, said that one of the pilots operating a new H125 was able to easily transport a compressor weighing 880 kg (1,940 lb) to a construction site at 2,700 meters (8,850 feet).
The upgrade for the Swiss operator’s H125s in its fleet was carried out by its maintenance department, and it took only one hour, at the end of a workday, to install the new software.
The Ecureuil H125 (AS 350 B3) is a light single-engine multirole helicopter that’s especially known for becoming the first helicopter to land on the peak of Mount Everest, at 8,848 meters (29,000 feet), on May 14, 2005.
One of the company’s most challenging operations are in the construction field where the overall capacity is one of a helicopter’s most important capabilities. This is where the newly-upgraded H125 showed its great value. It can now carry up to 125 kg (275.5 lb) in the cabin and 145 kg (319 lb) on the sling.
Considering that the typical altitude for the Air Zermatt helicopters ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 meters (6,560-13,123 feet), the increased capacity is impressive.
This is possible thanks to a software change to the VEMD that allows the H125 to use its engine power to the full extent. This particular upgrade is available on all baseline H125 helicopters and as a retrofit on the H125s equipped with an Arriel 2D engine. Gerold Biner, Air Zermatt CEO and a pilot himself, said that one of the pilots operating a new H125 was able to easily transport a compressor weighing 880 kg (1,940 lb) to a construction site at 2,700 meters (8,850 feet).
The upgrade for the Swiss operator’s H125s in its fleet was carried out by its maintenance department, and it took only one hour, at the end of a workday, to install the new software.
The Ecureuil H125 (AS 350 B3) is a light single-engine multirole helicopter that’s especially known for becoming the first helicopter to land on the peak of Mount Everest, at 8,848 meters (29,000 feet), on May 14, 2005.
Google News