Dauphine at Lydd today: December 2009

[AdamFrisch]

Hi.

I was taxiing out in a FW at Lydd at around lunch today when a metallic grey Dauphine came in, refueled and did some circuits. Weather was terrible.

Very pretty aircraft and I thought I'd look it up at Airliners.com. Any ideas about the reg?

[Barshifter]

Possibly this one maybe as it fits the description

[Brilliant Stuff]

[nitpicking mode on]

IMHO a Dauphine is a SA or AS 365 C N N1 N2 or N3 in the shape of G-DPHN
but not an EC155 like the LX- machine.

[nitpicking mode off]

[tigerfish]

Brilliant Stuff is quite correct. DPHN is an AS365N1 looking very smart and much younger than it actually is.
LX is an EC155. Initially very similar to look at, but actually a very different aircraft.

The AS365 is still in production in N3 form, and so is the EC155.

Tigerfish

[tigerfish]

I'm often not sure either!

I believe the easiest way of telling is that the EC155 is fatter in the cabin area and looks like its very well fed!

Tigerthingy.

[206Fan]

When i seen the following N3 for the first time a few months ago, i thought it was a 155. Though it was 7am at the time when it flew over. Nice to see that early in the morning.

[Brilliant Stuff]

I was told that the landing gear is the only part carried over from the 365.

[AdamFrisch]

Dunno.

The color on the first one seems right, but I don't remember the reg being
so prominent on the side and I'm pretty sure the blades did not have the white stripes on them. Then again, the rotor was turning so as they cone up I could have missed the painted stripes at the top of the blades...

The second one seems a little light in color, but it was a real grey day so it's a possibility (but I doubt it). It did quite a few circuits, though - as if it was on a training flight. Can't imagine Roman lending his bird out for training.

[Rigga]

I thought roman had a EC145? But then, he is a multi......

365 = Square windows
155 = Windows with rounded corners

K.I.S.S.

[Brilliant Stuff]

Pilots do need training after all the VVIP wants to arrive safely etc pp.

Roman owns two 135s, a EC155, 1 to 2 EC145 as well as a EC130.

[Bomb Doctor]

Could it have been a Military one?

[mini]

EI-GJL is owned by Larry Goodman, aka The Beef Baron, a low profile figure of late.

[Brilliant Stuff]

The military ones are blue with a white belly.

[206Fan]

I have been seeing a lot of (EI-GJL) lately crossing the border. I had a nice wake up call at 06:30 today when it went over nice and low heading North. I believe a Neighbour of mine is one of the Pilots but not sure. Lovely machine!

[ec155mech]

MGB and Eng's are the same ( although engines are a Arriel 2C1 on the AS365 )
both very nice to work on

[ShyTorque]

Dauphine, eh? I remember them...

[Dough Fan]

Dauphine? Bloody women .. yeh I remember them as well

[chevvron]

Last I heard, LXHEC had been re-registered MXHEC.
I did see a Dauphin or EC155 near Woking heading north west early this pm; maybe it was the same one as it had come from the Lydd direction.
The pilot of EIGJL told me there isn't a lot of difference between the two types, the '155 simply being the latest development of the Dauphin.
It has evolved a lot in the last 38 years. I flew in the prototype at the '74 Farnborough Airshow when it was a tailwheel design; pilot said 'call me Kof'.

[ShyTorque]

Chevvron, I'm certain you're right about it being on the 'M' reg these days (unless there is an identical replacement aircraft on scene).

[OvertHawk]

Chevvron - if it was the same machine then it sure as hell took a long time to come from Lydd since that observation was from 2009!

LX-HEC became P4-HEC became M-XHEC

OH