The prototype of the Eurocopter EC 175 made its “official maiden flight” on December 17, almost two weeks after its
actual first flight on December 4 in Marignane, France. The flight-test phase is now well under way. The event, attended by customers, employees, suppliers and journalists, was also the opportunity for Eurocopter to highlight the cooperation with China’s Avicopter. The European manufacturer has received letters of intent for 114 EC 175s.
The December 17 flight was actually the sixth for the prototype, and by December 17 the flight test crew had taken the helicopter to 140 knots. Moreover, the flight on December 4–the helicopter’s first–lasted one hour and 10 minutes. “This is exceptional and shows how mature the helicopter is,” flight-test engineer Patrick Bremond noted. Usually, a first flight lasts about 20 minutes and is followed by two weeks of work on the ground, he said.
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