Ecocopter acquires new Airbus H125

Aviation services provider Ecocopter has introduced an additional Airbus H125 helicopter into its Chilean fleet, to begin operations later this month.

The helicopter will be used by Ecocopter to perform a wide range of services across the country, including forest firefighting, passenger transport, internal and external cargo, helicopter emergency medical rescue services (HEMS), and ‘various aerial works in mining, energy, telecommunications and agriculture’.

The single-engine aircraft is the ninth H125 member of the Chile Ecocopter fleet and has already been fully certified by Chile’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The H125 features a Safran Arriel 2D turboshaft engine with two-channel full authority digital engine control, as well as a third independent automatic backup channel and automatic ignition. It has a cruise speed of 230km/h with an endurance of three hours, can carry 1,400kg at sea level and has a maximum flight altitude of over seven kilometers.

The H125 is mainly used for high performance missions in extreme conditions, either at altitude or where high temperatures prevail. The aircraft should be ideally suited to Chile’s unique terrain, which covers a wide range of latitudes and temperatures, as well as the western half of the Andean mountain range.