ec130 vs 350b2 vs 350b3
in the market to purchase a ship in the price range of these for the boss. he likes EC b/c of the open cockpit and everyone facing forward. he likes all 3 of these so it is really up to me. i have flown the b2 and b4 but not the b3. would love to hear what everyone says about the pros/cons of each. will be for private use. flying family, vacations, etc..
here are mine
EC-130
pros: less squirrely in IGE hover, tons of room, great view for everyone, dual hydraulics
cons: get a little bit more vibration at higher cruise speeds, not as easy to resell
AS350B2
pros: imho flies like a dream, bit cheaper then the other 2 so could get less time on ship, fast cruise speed, easy to sell since used for so many things
cons: single hydraulic belt with bit of history for issues
AS350B3
pros: not sure how flies but has to be great w/ even more power than the b2, dual hydraulics, fadec
cons: i have heard some pilots complain they don't like the single channel fadec? they like b2 better?
any advice is much appreciated! ;-)