Squirrel on gate at entrance to Eurocopter????

[Vertical T/O]

I'm down here in the south of france at the moment in Marseilles doing course in Eurocopter and noticed a squirrel sitting on top of the gate. Funny thing is it has Fenestron. Anybody know why or where it came form? Maybe it is a testbed. But anybody know for definite? Will try to get photo soon.

[Ian Corrigible]

She's the AS350Z, a B2 fitted with a fenstron in 1987 which assisted with the development of the Colibri and Ecostar.

http://www.eurocopter.com/site/docs_wsw/fichiers_communs/images/histecureuil20g.jpg

I/C

[OffshoreHeli]

I have just come back. Never even saw a heli by the gate. Must be the early starts.

[Vertical T/O]

Fecking early starts. Have to fly from 3am to 5 am later this week. The AS350Z is above the gate to the factory. Nowhere near Helisim.

[TwinHueyMan]

Never thought AS350s were that pretty, but that thing still looks about a million times more attractive than a EC130. I might even consider getting caught dead in one.

[Flying Bull]

Hi Ian,

how did you manage to get a photo of this bird?
Cameras are forbidden at that point of EADS ;-)

Have seen this bird as well, when I did my course at EC.
Instruktor said, it was used for testing.

Looks nice anyway and I bet, a squirl with a fenestron could be easily sold.
But EC wants to sell EC 120, 130 and 135s....

Greetings Flying Bull

[Ian Corrigible]

Flying Bull,

That's the 'official' EC photo of the gate guardian; there's another nice non-official study of the aircraft at http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0628155/L (Airliners.net).

I/C

[Lightning_Boy]

Tried to take a piccy of the girl today except the anal retentive at the main gates called us over and made us delete the photo's. They put the heli on display at the main gate for anyone to see as you drive by, then point the ouzzie at you when you take a picture :ugh: