Thu, Oct 06, 2011
AS350 Flies Using A Combination Of An Internal Combustion
Engine And An Electric Motor
Eurocopter has successfully tested a hybrid helicopter that
combines a turboshaft internal combustion engine with an electric
motor, using the supplemental electric system to increase
maneuverability of a single-engine helicopter during an
autorotation landing - which is performed by helicopters in the
event of a main engine failure.
The demonstrator helicopter is a production version of
Eurocopter's highly successful light single-engine AS350, which has
been equipped with a supplementary electric motor. In the event of
an engine failure, the electric motor provides power to the rotor,
allowing a pilot to control the helicopter very easily during the
descent to a safe touchdown. The next step is to bring this concept
to maturity and evaluate its implementation on Eurocopter's series
production helicopters.
"Eurocopter's research and development efforts are used every
day to push the frontiers by increasing helicopter safety and
performance for the benefit of our customers, and we are proud to
have brought the first helicopter equipped with an internal
combustion engine and electric propulsion system to flight," said
Lutz Bertling, Eurocopter President and CEO. "Hybrid propulsion is
an important element of Eurocopter's innovation roadmap in
developing the next generation of helicopters. It offers new
opportunities for improvements in safety, along with the potential
for reducing fuel consumption and emissions."
The AS350 hybrid demonstrator has its highly compact electric
motor and lithium ion polymer battery installed in the center area
of the helicopter. Electronic controls enable precise deployment of
power delivered by the electric motor during the period of
autorotation.
More News
Aero Linx: International Flying Farmers IFF is a not-for-profit organization started in 1944 by farmers who were also private pilots. We have members all across the United States a>[...]
From 2017 (YouTube Version): Remembrances Of An Israeli Air Force Test Pilot Early in 2016, ANN contributor Maxine Scheer traveled to Israel, where she had the opportunity to sit d>[...]
"We renegotiated what our debt restructuring is on a lot of our debts, mostly with the family. Those debts are going to be converted into equity..." Source: Excerpts from a short v>[...]
Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]
Chart Supplement US A flight information publication designed for use with appropriate IFR or VFR charts which contains data on all airports, seaplane bases, and heliports open to >[...]
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
See All