More likely to do with Eurocop...Airbus Helicopters not wanting to upset other customers/prospects during the type's recent Asian tour.

Though interestingly Flight reports that UTair, NHV and Heli-Union will be the first to get their aircraft, possibly due to follow-on O&G certification.

I/C

I heard today that Bristow is no longer the launch customer. They're going with Agustas.

Several prospective customers have already flown the prototypes to get a feel. I think the pilots were even interviewed afterwards. Definitely during last year's demo tour. Perhaps even before.

EC 175 - EASA Certification
 

Hello Everybody,

Did you know EC175 just got its EASA certification ???

I just discover it

http://easa.europa.eu/certification/...1-05022014.pdf

For AW189, it was clearly mentioned in the media, but not for EC175 ...!!

EC175 was in Aberdeen today and those nice chaps at AH gave me a shot in it. Very nice to fly and quite a few interesting ideas on the MMI. Seems a pity that there is not that much interest from the big 3 operators.

I thought it was not proving a hit with the UK offshore operators because it is too big for much of the SNS, and suffers in range/payload for the NNS.

HC, I flew it last month, and was also impressed by some of the new features.

I don't think that's true....

Having to increase MTOW already
 

They're having to increase their MTOW already because the AW189 is eating it's lunch and the Bell 525 is right on it's heels.

Airbus missed the target on this one: Airbus Helicopters Increasing EC175 Mtow by 660 Pounds | Aviation International News

PG, as far as I can tell, 525 has not flown yet, EC 175 first flew in 2009.

How does that put pressure on the 175?

AW 189 first production model flew in October 2013, and it looks like the order book is getting entries ... I can see how that may give the EC 175 team pause.

Not true: the EC175 has an "all-new main gearbox" (the 225's box would have been significantly oversized for the 175). The confusion is probably caused by the fact that the 175 uses a similar emergency lube system for its 30-minute run-dry capability (hopefully with correctly spec'd pressure switches).

To paraphrase Rowan Atkinson, the EC175's main challenge has been its timing. Had the aircraft met its original certification goal of 2011 it would have enjoyed a market lead. Instead, a 3-year certification slippage (surely due in part to the use of only two prototypes, vs. five for the AW189) meant it became available at exactly the same time as the 189, despite Cascina Costa's product having been unveiled three years later.

I/C

Yes some good ideas. I am thinking of doing a bit of a write up to put about, did you do same?

It's a smaller aircraft than the AW189 (apparently now potentially going from 16,500 up to 17,180 vs. 17,900+) and that's probably why they're rushing to increase the MTOW... because it didn't have the capability required by the major operators.

I'm sure it'll do ok, but my guess is with the delay that they had, as Ian said, it's given time for the AW189 to get into the market. That aircraft has the performance that offshore guys want and I predict it will eat the EC175's lunch (70/30 split).

The 525 is reportedly going to fly at the end of the year, but we know the track record with these size aircraft and schedules. Not sure what operators are going to hold off until that certifies, but it's also a bigger aircraft according to their site... so maybe the EC175 plays the short/medium offshore and VIP role, whereas the others do the heavy-duty lifting.

PG, thanks. It appears that in the range/payload/size mix, doing the detailed market analysis to see how a given helicopter fits into what the operators need, and then meet the cert requirements, looks to be as much art as science. :cool:

It will be interesting to see the detailed (accurate) figures. The 189 has 1780 kg of fuel vs the 175's 2100 and the CT7 is thirstier than the PT6, so I'm not sure the 'lunch' will be that easy to eat...

Youtube vid of the scottish promo tour:



skadi

I seriously doubt that the CT-7 is thirstier than the PT6, especially considering tgat the PT6 on this Chinese product is at the upper end of its thermodinamic design.
The 189 shall not have a significantly higher fuel cosumption than the 139, and a considerably lower SFC.

The EC175 with the Test Pilot Alain D-Bianca and Flight Test Engineer Michel Oswald spent the last three days putting big smiles on the faces of the Aberdeen Helicopter community. It was an incredible three days of flying.

You know what? It was just nice to be in Aberdeen and happy about helicopters for a change after all the !!!! the community has been through. We all got into this because of the love of flight and flying machines. The EC175 is the most sophisticated helicopter on the planet. True I am biased but so what! The people who built this machine and Alain and his crew deserve credit for what they have achieved.

If you were lucky enough to fly her or in her in the last few days you know!!

If you still like round gauges. She's not for you!!

Maybe the armchair experts can take a break and at least let us enjoy the birth of a new helicopter and the joy it brought to so many in Aberdeen this week.

PhlyingGuy - if you could only see the extreme measures that are taken to prove and expand a flight envelope and the time it takes to achieve it you would certainly not characterise it as "Rushing" Maybe visibility is rather poor from your armchair.

Ananke, sales of the EC225 have never been stronger.

However as you seem to think we can cram a vast object like the EC225 MGB into an EC175 airframe maybe you are not the font of wisdom you are trying to be.

The EC175 has two pumps on separate shafts because it also has a de-clutch system to drive the accessories. It is a completely new design especially for the EC175.

Ananke, if you want to join the professionals try to meet the minimum criteria for entry. More than one braincell being a start!!

DB

How about some simple new rules.

1. If you have flown the EC175, or flown in it, please let us have you opinions. Good bad or ugly!!

2. If you have not flown it, or flown in it, ask as many question as you want but save the uninformed half baked opinions for the pub!

Jeez. DB

Ananke, sorry maybe I "heard" you only had one brain cell!

I suggest if you want to write about a project as complex and important as a new ME-IFR helicopter you ask questions rather than make dumb statements that clearly demonstrate how little knowledge you have OR that you are pursuing a more sinister agenda.

DB