AS350 Astar/Squirrel
Just in case you aren't taking the P**S 
#2 is possibly the complete OPPOSITE of what you should be doing.
The "squirrely" bit is actually coming from the tail rotor.
You will notice a difference between IGE and OGE. OGE the MR wake misses the TR. IGE the TR can be in and out of the wake depending on the relative wind direction. The TR does get translational lift just like the MR and the thrust will vary in these conditions. The change in thrust for a fixed pitch setting will induce yaw/roll coupling (the Huey Shuffle). People tend to try and account for it with the cyclic which is a natural reaction but the wrong one.
Brighten up your footwork and keep it straight - no more yaw roll.
Friction up the cyclic as it is easy to get PIO. The mast will rock and induce even more problems. You will soon get tired of pushing the cyclic around and probably realise you don't have to.
I have had a 355 hover hands off for 45 seconds.
#2 is possibly the complete OPPOSITE of what you should be doing.
The "squirrely" bit is actually coming from the tail rotor.
You will notice a difference between IGE and OGE. OGE the MR wake misses the TR. IGE the TR can be in and out of the wake depending on the relative wind direction. The TR does get translational lift just like the MR and the thrust will vary in these conditions. The change in thrust for a fixed pitch setting will induce yaw/roll coupling (the Huey Shuffle). People tend to try and account for it with the cyclic which is a natural reaction but the wrong one.
Brighten up your footwork and keep it straight - no more yaw roll.
Friction up the cyclic as it is easy to get PIO. The mast will rock and induce even more problems. You will soon get tired of pushing the cyclic around and probably realise you don't have to.
I have had a 355 hover hands off for 45 seconds.
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AS350BA, B2 & B3 maintenance tips
Received from our AEC tech rep. May be of help with trouble-shooting:
AS350 BA/B2
Q. New airframe Fuel Filter part number 402A127 (AMS 07-2827) Paper
A. Paper non-cleanable; 1,000 hour change
Q. High amperage draw - AS350 B2
A. Cause was terminal lug E on the Generator. Clean or replace the connector.
Q. Blade grounding strap insert
A. Insert part number is A0040F060-250C. Use 6 mm drill with drill stop to drill the insert.
Q. Fuel drain cable part numbers
B. P/N IS 1531 or 1533 or 1578
Q. Engine deck cannon plug: spinning torque indicator
A. The rubber inserts around the deck pins deteriorate and can allow grounding of a circuit and allow the torque meter to spin backwards
Q. APU connected backwards
A. The short will blow the F2 fuse in the ECE box and will also burn a capacitor on the Z1 card
Q. AS350 B2 & B3. RH pedal moves FWD when selecting HYD OFF
A. It's OK if it only creeps (move the left pedal slightly FWD)
Q. Low NR in flight. Slow start, NG limited
A. Cause was the throttle was rigged into green and not mid yellow
Note: AS350 BA -- the NR frequency detector part number E-569 is no longer available and will be superceded by a AS350 B2-type detector
Q. AS350 B2 left lateral cyclic binding in cyclic
A. Dunlop servo input sloppy link needed lubrication
Q. AS350 BA cyclic motors rearward with new servo
A. Cause was Apical float release handle pulling on the cyclic
Q. AS350 B2 & B3 stick shake with the hydraulics turned off
A. Cause was the spiracle stops on the MRH (with a TTSN of 5,000 hours)
Q. AS350 BA bleed valve would not close.
A. Cause was the 23K PCB has a solder tracer broken
AS350 B3
Q. NR droops when pulling the collective up
A. The forced idle micro-sw was ty-wrapped too tight and the mounting bracket slightly bent when raising the collective, so the plunger contracted taking the engine towards idle
Q. When selecting start – red GOV light and no codes
A. Cause was the starter switch
Q. When selecting manual during training – no red GOV light
A. Cause was the warning panel
Q. When selecting EBACU on the AS350 B3/2B1, the NR would fluctuate
A. Cause was the ASU 3 card
Q. VEMD cycles would not show and warning panel test inoperative
A. ASU 2 card burnt. (When no cycles and no warning panel test, the ASU -2 card thinks the a/c is still above 60% NG)
Q. Code 120 NF TRIM. (Normally means the NF potentiometer is bad.)
A. Adjusted the NR (two RPM) and the code disappeared
Q. Red GOV light on when selecting start
A. Cause was no power to the 69K relay pin; open at the fuse
Q. Starter shaft shears, gen. light comes in flight when it shears. Replacement starter shaft shears also on the next flight.
A. Cause was the K1 relay socket pin 1 burnt. This is the socket to the starter relay. It may have been the burnt socket was shorted to another burnt socket and the starter relay was being energized in flight, thus shearing the shaft
I/C
AS350 BA/B2
Q. New airframe Fuel Filter part number 402A127 (AMS 07-2827) Paper
A. Paper non-cleanable; 1,000 hour change
Q. High amperage draw - AS350 B2
A. Cause was terminal lug E on the Generator. Clean or replace the connector.
Q. Blade grounding strap insert
A. Insert part number is A0040F060-250C. Use 6 mm drill with drill stop to drill the insert.
Q. Fuel drain cable part numbers
B. P/N IS 1531 or 1533 or 1578
Q. Engine deck cannon plug: spinning torque indicator
A. The rubber inserts around the deck pins deteriorate and can allow grounding of a circuit and allow the torque meter to spin backwards
Q. APU connected backwards
A. The short will blow the F2 fuse in the ECE box and will also burn a capacitor on the Z1 card
Q. AS350 B2 & B3. RH pedal moves FWD when selecting HYD OFF
A. It's OK if it only creeps (move the left pedal slightly FWD)
Q. Low NR in flight. Slow start, NG limited
A. Cause was the throttle was rigged into green and not mid yellow
Note: AS350 BA -- the NR frequency detector part number E-569 is no longer available and will be superceded by a AS350 B2-type detector
Q. AS350 B2 left lateral cyclic binding in cyclic
A. Dunlop servo input sloppy link needed lubrication
Q. AS350 BA cyclic motors rearward with new servo
A. Cause was Apical float release handle pulling on the cyclic
Q. AS350 B2 & B3 stick shake with the hydraulics turned off
A. Cause was the spiracle stops on the MRH (with a TTSN of 5,000 hours)
Q. AS350 BA bleed valve would not close.
A. Cause was the 23K PCB has a solder tracer broken
AS350 B3
Q. NR droops when pulling the collective up
A. The forced idle micro-sw was ty-wrapped too tight and the mounting bracket slightly bent when raising the collective, so the plunger contracted taking the engine towards idle
Q. When selecting start – red GOV light and no codes
A. Cause was the starter switch
Q. When selecting manual during training – no red GOV light
A. Cause was the warning panel
Q. When selecting EBACU on the AS350 B3/2B1, the NR would fluctuate
A. Cause was the ASU 3 card
Q. VEMD cycles would not show and warning panel test inoperative
A. ASU 2 card burnt. (When no cycles and no warning panel test, the ASU -2 card thinks the a/c is still above 60% NG)
Q. Code 120 NF TRIM. (Normally means the NF potentiometer is bad.)
A. Adjusted the NR (two RPM) and the code disappeared
Q. Red GOV light on when selecting start
A. Cause was no power to the 69K relay pin; open at the fuse
Q. Starter shaft shears, gen. light comes in flight when it shears. Replacement starter shaft shears also on the next flight.
A. Cause was the K1 relay socket pin 1 burnt. This is the socket to the starter relay. It may have been the burnt socket was shorted to another burnt socket and the starter relay was being energized in flight, thus shearing the shaft
I/C
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AS350/355/EC130 rotorhead issues
Has anyone had 'events' (actual or potential) involving Spherical stops on AS350/355/EC130 rotorheads?
Last edited by Heli-phile; 16th May 2008 at 05:20.
A friend wants to buy a `Squirrell`,single engine,for personal use,in UK,so I wondered if I could tap the `knowledge bank and expertise` to find out the good,bad and ugly bits,and recommendations.I`ve not flown one but I`ve read most of the 30 pages on here,from 2001,but I`d like to have an idea about; engine -life,servicing,fadec?,fuel consumption; rotor-servicing,problems; instrumentation/electronics/autopilot/nav.stuff; ground handling -trolley-tie-down etc;conversion time-presently operates an Enstrom480; any other useful tips would be appreciated,but not 30 more pages of the usual NA/Eu divide !I`m only guessing but I think he`ll probably do about 150-200 hrs/yr...Syc...
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Spherical Stops AS350/355
Heli-phile,
A failure followed by severe vibration and forced landing has occurred to an AS350BA in Canada in August 1994 and a similar failure has happened to an AS350B2 and are featured in Transport Canada Aviation Safety Vortex magazine issue 6/94.
Two have occurred to AS355's here in NZ, one recently which is still under investigation www.taic.org.nz
A failure followed by severe vibration and forced landing has occurred to an AS350BA in Canada in August 1994 and a similar failure has happened to an AS350B2 and are featured in Transport Canada Aviation Safety Vortex magazine issue 6/94.
Two have occurred to AS355's here in NZ, one recently which is still under investigation www.taic.org.nz
Sycamore
NigelH owns and operates an AS350BA and has done so for several years now. He's got quite a few stories to tell so it would be worth sending him a pm - don't be tempted to phone him up on your mobile though unless you've got deep pockets; he can talk the hind legs off a donkey! (Only kidding Nige!)
I've flown over a thousand hours in them in both military and civil guises and in my experience, they are about the most reliable helicopter I've ever flown (with perhaps the exception of the R22). When things do go wrong however, they tend to be expensive on parts - especially the engines. However, Turbomeca make 'almost' bullet-proof engines so problems are rare; certainly significantly less common than RR/Allison products in my experience.
There does seem to be a spread in top speed for the exact same model of helicopter. I've seen differences of about 10 to 12 knots which is about 10%. If cruise speed is an issue, and it generally is for most people, I'd recommend test flying several aircraft at similar loads / met conditions and do a groundspeed/airspeed comparison at typical cruise torque (80-85%). You may find that this influences your choice of aircraft. Equally, fuel burn rate varies a bit from engine to engine; if you can get information from the owners records, you might be suprised how economical , or otherwise, an individual aircraft is. With Jet A-1 at 80 odd pence a litre, this is worth doing.
JJ
NigelH owns and operates an AS350BA and has done so for several years now. He's got quite a few stories to tell so it would be worth sending him a pm - don't be tempted to phone him up on your mobile though unless you've got deep pockets; he can talk the hind legs off a donkey! (Only kidding Nige!)
I've flown over a thousand hours in them in both military and civil guises and in my experience, they are about the most reliable helicopter I've ever flown (with perhaps the exception of the R22). When things do go wrong however, they tend to be expensive on parts - especially the engines. However, Turbomeca make 'almost' bullet-proof engines so problems are rare; certainly significantly less common than RR/Allison products in my experience.
There does seem to be a spread in top speed for the exact same model of helicopter. I've seen differences of about 10 to 12 knots which is about 10%. If cruise speed is an issue, and it generally is for most people, I'd recommend test flying several aircraft at similar loads / met conditions and do a groundspeed/airspeed comparison at typical cruise torque (80-85%). You may find that this influences your choice of aircraft. Equally, fuel burn rate varies a bit from engine to engine; if you can get information from the owners records, you might be suprised how economical , or otherwise, an individual aircraft is. With Jet A-1 at 80 odd pence a litre, this is worth doing.
JJ
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heli-phile
An AS355F1 had a catastrophic failure of an inner spherical stop whilst climbing out of Wellington, NZ two or three months ago. I can't recall the reg of that machine off the top of my head; but it was an low hour E model that had been upgraded to an F1. Original stops I believe
TK
An AS355F1 had a catastrophic failure of an inner spherical stop whilst climbing out of Wellington, NZ two or three months ago. I can't recall the reg of that machine off the top of my head; but it was an low hour E model that had been upgraded to an F1. Original stops I believe
TK
Thanks Jelly....next time you say " you have control " you may get a surprise..
I have operated my BA now for about 2000 hrs and it now has 2600 TT. I can honestly say that i have never had a lack of powe even 6 up with fuel etc so never been tempted by B3 which is a hot and high machine.
I have only had one major problem which was the engine ......not necessarily its fault, in fact i flew it with the problem commercially for around 50 hrs
It had ingested a piece of metal and had damaged blades in all modules ....but it kept going albeit with a surge every now and then which manifested itself into a kick from the tail which we investigated but obviously could find no fault. Anyway one new engine later , new sleeves, spherical bearings etc later it is the smoothest one i have ever flown
( that was the feeling from many of the 50 or so pax we took in and out of silverstone anyway ) and touch wood, seems to be 100% reliable . I do not know of a better single on the market ( 407 is great but not so good for passengers). Anyway i will be selling her soon for one good reason ......as i get older and lazier , i would like an autopilot. Especially for long flights in ifr .
I have operated my BA now for about 2000 hrs and it now has 2600 TT. I can honestly say that i have never had a lack of powe even 6 up with fuel etc so never been tempted by B3 which is a hot and high machine.
I have only had one major problem which was the engine ......not necessarily its fault, in fact i flew it with the problem commercially for around 50 hrs
It had ingested a piece of metal and had damaged blades in all modules ....but it kept going albeit with a surge every now and then which manifested itself into a kick from the tail which we investigated but obviously could find no fault. Anyway one new engine later , new sleeves, spherical bearings etc later it is the smoothest one i have ever flown
( that was the feeling from many of the 50 or so pax we took in and out of silverstone anyway ) and touch wood, seems to be 100% reliable . I do not know of a better single on the market ( 407 is great but not so good for passengers). Anyway i will be selling her soon for one good reason ......as i get older and lazier , i would like an autopilot. Especially for long flights in ifr .
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What will the FCU do when you raise the collective to check RPM in the flare and/or to cushion the landing?
___________________________________________
The FCU still schedule fuel at idle (if you are in that range). The governor/Anticipator will not react because the N2 RPM is out of governig range and also because the engine is decoupled.
___________________________________________
The FCU still schedule fuel at idle (if you are in that range). The governor/Anticipator will not react because the N2 RPM is out of governig range and also because the engine is decoupled.
Thanks Nigelh,a PM to you..S
AS350
Hi all, I have looked back through the threads for this information and have drawn a blank. Apologies if already discussed but the search function is fairly limited.
I would like to know the real world average Fuel burn rates for the AS350 F1 and F2. Sea level operation, about 100 knots cruise mostly heavy (Within 10 percent of MAUW)
Thanks in advance.
HB999
I would like to know the real world average Fuel burn rates for the AS350 F1 and F2. Sea level operation, about 100 knots cruise mostly heavy (Within 10 percent of MAUW)
Thanks in advance.
HB999
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As350 B3
Trading our Agusta 109E for AS350B3. New to the airframe. Any "got ya's" I need to look for right out of the gate flying this thing? No factory school so its read and do time. Will get a few hours fron the past owners pilot so not going in cold. Any maintenance tips would also be helpfull. Thanks guys!
Fly4crabs,
The AS350 is a great pilots aircraft, much better than the A109E! Fairly basic point and shoot aircraft with very good feedback and no real gotchas. You won't have to sit for hours with lots of pedal like the 109, Eurocopter thought about this and set the tail and rigging so the pedals are neutral in the cruise.
Main one to look out for is when checking the hydraulics on the ground check and check again and then check again that the collective is latched before turning the hydraulics off. A few very experienced pilots have ended up buying a new tail after the aircraft has leap into the air.
FNW
The AS350 is a great pilots aircraft, much better than the A109E! Fairly basic point and shoot aircraft with very good feedback and no real gotchas. You won't have to sit for hours with lots of pedal like the 109, Eurocopter thought about this and set the tail and rigging so the pedals are neutral in the cruise.
Main one to look out for is when checking the hydraulics on the ground check and check again and then check again that the collective is latched before turning the hydraulics off. A few very experienced pilots have ended up buying a new tail after the aircraft has leap into the air.
FNW
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AS350 MTOW question
I searched through PPRuNe and found one guy (at the end) saying the reason for the 2,250 kg MTOW internal weight restriction was due to hydraulics limitations. I've also heard somebody saying it had to do with the landing gear design.
Why is the AS350 B3(+), as an example, limited to 2,250 kg internally, when it goes up to 2,800 kg when slinging?
Why is the AS350 B3(+), as an example, limited to 2,250 kg internally, when it goes up to 2,800 kg when slinging?