Eurocopter Launches EC 130 B4,
And Delivers First to Blue Hawaiian

Eurocopter unveiled and delivered the first of a new helicopter here yesterday, the EC 130 B4. The new turbine single is so quiet that Eurocopter execs joked about being disappointed at the delay in new FAA noise rules.

	It's the First, Also the 3,000th
	Eurocopter's delivery here Sunday of the first EC 130 B4 turbine single to Dave and Patty Chevalier of Blue Hawaiian Helicopter also marked delivery of the 3,000th aircraft in the company's AStar/TwinStar (Ecureuil) family. "Uncle Dave" blesses the new EC 130 B4 for Blue Hawaiian Helicopters at the aircraft's launch ceremony here Sunday.
	Blue Hawaiian was founded in 1985 and has grown into Hawaii's largest helicopter operator. It has six AS350 BAs and nine of the more powerful AS350B2s, Eurocopter reports, employing 33 pilots to fly 140,000 passengers per year out of one base on Maui and two on the Big Island of Hawaii. It's also an FAA-certified repair station and a factory-authorized service center for American Eurocopter and for Turbomeca. Blue Hawaiian's new EC 130 B4 is expected to see about 100 hours of flight service per month, the manufacturer said.

How quiet is the EC 130 B4? With an in-flight noise level of 84.3 EPNdB, it's said to be 7 dB below the ICAO limit and .5 dB below the so-called Grand Canyon National Park standard.

The new aircraft, which was kept under wraps until Heli-Expo 2001, is a derivative of the AS 350 B3 airframe and as such has already been FAA- and JAA-certified. It's powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 2B engine developing maximum takeoff power of 847 shp, with Starflex-type main rotor-a powertrain likewise shared with the AS 350 B3. The EC 130 B4 has a dual-channel FADEC with a third independent channel for redundant engine control.

The EC 130 B4 has 23% more cabin space than other AStar helos, and has such EC 120 B Colibri components as windshield and doors. Fenestron tail rotor is identical to that of the EC 135.

The extensive component commonality with existing Eurocopter aircraft helped minimize EC 130 B4 development risk, "resulting in a helicopter both easy and affordable to maintain," the company says. The new bird has improved creature comforts and VFR night-time radio navigation and integrated instrument panel (with vehicle and engine multifunction display and GPS) yielding true day-and-night flight capability.

In addition to the Heli-Expo delivery to Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, four EC 130 B4s are to enter service with customers this spring. Eurocopter has deliberately chosen tour operators with high use times for the launch, so as to gather maximum customer feedback and operational data on the new machine as quickly as possible. The EC 130 B4 will also be offered for executive transport and EMS operation, American Eurocopter president Rudy Palladina said here Sunday.

An EC 130 B4 support platform has been established at American Eurocopter in Texas, to be followed by an equivalent in Europe, then elsewhere.

By Rich Piellisch