Aston Martin Reaches For The Sky With Its New... Helicopter?

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Aston Martin Reaches For The Sky With Its New... Helicopter?

This article was published by Andrew Evans (@Famine) on January 3rd, 2020 in the Automotive News category.

 

[Leggacy]

Looks like a pimped up gazelle, I wonder if it has that familiar high pitched whine from the engine?

 

[Famine]

Looks like a pimped up gazelle

They're related, but very distantly.

The EC130 (Airbus, previously Eurocopter - created from Aerospatiale) is a development of the AS350 (Aerospatiale), essentially with a fenestron instead of a tail rotor. The Gazelle (SA340, Aerospatiale) was the first helicopter to use the fenestron.

I wonder if it has that familiar high pitched whine from the engine?

Same engine manufacturer - and you'll probably have heard it before anyway. Your air ambulance is an EC135, which is a twin-engined version - although some models use P&W engines, others use the same Turbomeca Arrius 2B as the EC130.

 

[danimac]

I’m getting 007 vibes.
Cue the James Bond Theme

 

[Leggacy]

They're related, but very distantly.

The EC130 (Airbus, previously Eurocopter - created from Aerospatiale) is a development of the AS350 (Aerospatiale), essentially with a fenestron instead of a tail rotor. The Gazelle (SA340, Aerospatiale) was the first helicopter to use the fenestron.

Same engine manufacturer - and you'll probably have heard it before anyway. Your air ambulance is an EC135, which is a twin-engined version - although some models use P&W engines, others use the same Turbomeca Arrius 2B as the EC130.

Yeah, they do seem to be distant cousins. That enclosed tail rotor looks very familiar.

 

[Famine]

Yeah, they do seem to be distant cousins. That enclosed tail rotor looks very familiar.

That's the fenestron. It's like a tail rotor, but not - it does the same torque-countering thing, but rather than being a rotor on its side, it's more like a ducted fan. Because it's enclosed, it's more efficient due to the reduction in tip vortex losses - energy wasted by vortex generation at the wing tips - and quieter. They often use many more blades (the ACH130 has ten) than a conventional tail rotor, unevenly spaced to create noises at different frequencies.


Yes, I spent all morning researching helicopters so I could write the article

 

[Auditore]

All i see is a new vehicle for james bond to crash.

 

[Leggacy]

That's the fenestron. It's like a tail rotor, but not - it does the same torque-countering thing, but rather than being a rotor on its side, it's more like a ducted fan. Because it's enclosed, it's more efficient due to the reduction in tip vortex losses - energy wasted by vortex generation at the wing tips - and quieter. They often use many more blades (the ACH130 has ten) than a conventional tail rotor, unevenly spaced to create noises at different frequencies.


Yes, I spent all morning researching helicopters so I could write the article

I was thinking you had an extensive knowledge of helicopters

 

[IfAndOr]

I was thinking you had an extensive knowledge of helicopters

He's Famine. He has extensive knowledge of everything.