Rotorcraft
Eurocopter quietly working on 'neighborly helicopter'
Just a few years ago Eurocopter scored a major coup at an HAI Heli-Expo show, amazing the crowds by introducing a new helicopter as a completely certified

Just a few years ago Eurocopter scored a major coup at an HAI Heli-Expo show, amazing the crowds by introducing a new helicopter as a completely certified aircraft instead of a promise-laden prototype encumbered with the usual waits for first flight, inflated claims of launch customers and delays in FAA approval. Instead, Eurocopter presented its EC 130 as a done deal.

In much the same way, Eurocopter is quietly working on a new main rotor blade intended initially for use aboard the Franco- German manufacturer’s EC 155B1 light twin. Dubbed the “neighborly helicopter,” the new machine is hoped to be as much as seven to nine decibels quieter than the proposed new ICAO rotorcraft noise regulations. In the EC 155’s case (for a helicopter weighing as much as 6,000 pounds), the regulation would limit noise to no more than 93 decibels.