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The Eurocopter EC135 is a lightweight five/seven seat twin-turbine-engine multi-role helicopter with a radius of 720 km.
The EC135 is offered with either Turbomeca Arrius 2B2 or Pratt and Whitney Canada PW206B2 engines. Development
of the Eurocopter EC135 started in the 80s as the MBB Bo.108 Advanced Technology Helicopter. The prototype BO108
with conventional tail rotor flew first on 15 October 1988. When the helicopter divisions of MBB from Germany
and Aerospatiale from France merged in January 1992 to form the Eurocopter Group, the Bo108 program was transferred
as well. An advanced low noise ducted 10-blade Fenestron tail rotor was, next to other modifications, incorporated
into the design and the name of the helicopter was changed into Eurocopter EC135. The prototype of the EC135
(D-HBOX s/n S-01) flew first on 15 February 1994 and went into series production in 1996 at Donauwörth. After
German certification was granted on 14 June 1996, was the first customer delivery on 31 July that year. Over
900 have been delivered since the helicopter entered service in 1996 with the German rescue company DRF - Deutsche
Rettungsflugwacht e.V. |
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Eurocopter Deutschland used registration D-HECG for the 1999-built
Eurocopter EC135T1 c/n 0115. In January 2000, the VIP-aircraft was registered VP-CAF with Mr. Al Fayed, the Chairman of
Harrods. On 25 April 2001, the helicopter was registered G-HARP in the UK with Air Harrods. Registration G-HARP was cancelled on 29 November
2002 and the EC135T1 was registered P4-LGB at Aruba with Roman Abramovich. LGB stands for “Le Grand Blue” the name of the private yacht
of the owner on which it was boarded. On 17 May 2004, the aircraft was re-registered P4-XTC with Horizon Investments AVV as registered owner
and on 4 July 2004, the P4-XTC was registered with Beautiful Heli. The P4-XTC was boarded at the “Ecstasea”, one of the owner’s (Roman Abramovich)
private yachts. On 13 March 2008, the EC135T1 returned on the UK-register as G-CEYF with Starspeed Ltd. at Blackbushe Airport. The emergency floats equipped
EC135 T1 G-CEYF visited
the Heli Holland heliport near Emmen in the Netherlands on its way to Sweden. |
Luchtvaart déjà vu
