The recently EASA-certified Eurocopter EC 225 Super Puma has a new anti-vibration system that brings more performance, simplicity and lightness to the helicopter. Othertechnological innovations on themedium-twin helicopter include a new autopilot–with an engine-failure mode–and a new cockpit, which the company describes as providing a more intuitive man-machine interface.
The comfort of civilian passengers might come to mind first as the likely motivation for vibration reduction–especially in a helicopter that is often used in high-density passenger versions for offshore operations–but it was actually military operators who specifically asked for less vibration. (The military variant of the EC 225 is the EC 725.) The French air force needs the EC 725s it has ordered to be as steady as possible during search-and-rescue operations, Richard Dubreuil, Super Puma new development manager, told AIN during a visit to the company’s headquarters in Marignane, near Marseilles, France, early last month.
