![]() On 24 June 1999, the first prototype EC130 performed its first flight, being flown from an airfield in France by Steven Page, an Australian test pilot. In the early 1990s, development of the new rotorcraft continued under Eurocopter, Aerospatiale having merged into the multinational Eurocopter organisation. The AS350 Z contributed to the overall development of the fenestron tail rotor. The AS350 Z test program stretched across several years, the aircraft receiving additional modifications such as a new air intake based on that of the Eurocopter EC120. On 6 February 1987, a prototype AS350 Z (a modified AS350 B2) conducted its first flight with a Fenestron tail-rotor fitted in the place of its conventional counterpart. It was launched and produced by the Eurocopter Group, which would later be rebranded as Airbus Helicopters.ĭuring the 1980s, there was considerable interest within French aerospace manufacturer Aerospatiale to further develop their successful AS350 series Écureuil rotorcraft, which had been originally developed in the early 1970s. The Eurocopter EC130 (now Airbus Helicopters H130) is a single engine light utility helicopter developed from the earlier Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil, one of the primary changes from which was the adoption of a Fenestron anti-torque device in place of a conventional tail rotor.
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