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What's In A Name


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Splitpin,

I think WTF is referring to the fact that Astars are called Squirrels across the pond in Europe. I don't know what a hummingbird is over here though.

 

Maybe WTF could fill us in? Maybe share a few more too?

 

Just a guess as to the original question; maybe somone thought that North American drillers/jug hounds wouldn't ever get in a helicopter called a Squirrel, much less a Hummingbird (?) so they thought they would call it an Astar and a ________.

 

Just throwin it out there... I don't know.

 

Murdoch

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hummingbird = colibri = EC120

 

Someone once told me that the terms "Astar" and "Twinstar" were invented by Aerospatiale when they started building the AS350D and AS355F1 for the US market. Aparently, the word Squirrel wasn't macho enough for the US market... :lol:

 

So, technically speaking, when an AS350 has a Lycoming turbine in it, we should call it an Astar, and when it's got a Turbomeca turbine in it, we should be calling it a Squirrel... :wacko:

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So, technically speaking, when an AS350 has a Lycoming turbine in it, we should call it an Astar, and when it's got a Turbomeca turbine in it, we should be calling it a Squirrel... wacko.gif

 

 

 

 

 

NON technically speaking, When an EC-30 has a lycoming turbine in it, we should call it a "Falling Star", and when it's got a Turbomecca turbine in it, we should be calling it "expensive but reliable"..... :lol:

Max

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The EC-30 is the ecureuil. French for squirrel.

I thought they named it that because of the H.I.G.E characteristics! :lol:

Max

 

 

The Écureuil is the civilian variant of the French Army aviation (ÉLAT) Fennec, which we tend to call the Astar on this side of the Atlantic. No specific name has (yet) been given to the EC-130B4 by Eurocopter. Most people just call it "The B4". About four years ago, TC dropped the S350 designation on licences and type certs and grouped the AS350 and EC130 together, because they considered them similar enough to be considered as one rating. I remember getting my licence renewed and finding out I was no longer endorsed on the AS350, but rather the EC30... :lol:

 

I've got almost as much time on the Lycoming turbines (D, BA+) as on the Arriel, and aside from longer warm-ups and cooldowns, and a little bit more latency on the governors, I have no problem flying them both. A big plus for the Lyco is that when something breaks on them, the a/c tends to be back in service faster (read customer service here)... <_<

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