Manufacturer Profile

Aerospatiale Helicopter Corporation

Aerospatiale's TwinStar is the m o s t prolific t w i n - e n g i n e helicopter o n

the nation's hospital helipads, with nine m a c h i n e s n o w equalling all
other twins combined.
Question: What is old, shaky,
noisy, and leaks when it rains?
Answer: Aerospatiale's Alouette
III. Question: What helicopter did
more for the hospital-based
helicopter concept in the United
States than any other helicopter?
Answer: Aerospatiale's Alouette
III.
In fact, the Alouette III is fast
becoming a legend in its own time.
In its prime, 25 of the venerable
craft were found on hospital
contracts. Crew pride was obvious
with some of the nicknames
christened on the side of their hulls.
Some took after large fish, such as
" M o b y " in Des Moines. Others
were attached to colors, such as
"The Blue Canoe" in Pittsburgh,
and "The Green Machine" in
Long Beach. And then there was
the "Polish Easter Egg" in
Toledo...
Now, with 9 Alouettes retired
and more designated for the
boneyard, an era is slowly comiiig
to a close. There is even talk from
one program director of ',bronzing
it and putting it on my mantle."
But Bill Baxter of Pensacola,
10

HOSPITALAVIATION, MAY 1983

Florida says, "I'11 keep it as long

as there is a supply of parts."
Aerospatiale seems to be keeping
it, too - at least in the family.
Wichita traded their Alouette for
two AStars. And programs in
Long Beach, Las Vegas, and
Houston traded for TwinStars.
And for good reason: AStars and
TwinStars have a good reputation
for speed and stingy fuel
consumption.
The manufacturer received FAA
certification on the first Alouette
III in 1962. The model most
common in the U.S. was the
Alouette 316B, certificated in 1971.
InaU, 1,440 Alouette III's were
produced by Aerospatiale,
primarily as a military vehicle for
high mountainous areas of Europe.
This latter fact caused import to
the United States of a few dozen
of the machines to fly in the
Rocky Mountain states.
Aerospatiale Helicopter
Corporation (AHC) is the
American subsidiary of Societe
Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale,

French helicopters a c c o u n t for half of all helicopters on U.S. hospital

contracts. The AStar is the least expensive and fastest of single engine
helicopters in medical configuration.

the multi-billion dollar French

government owned manufacturer
of airliners, missile systems,
helicopters, and space and ballistic
systems. Aerospatiale has a 16%
share of the world-wide helicopter
market (excluding USSR and U.S.
military purchases), exporting over
three-fourths of the helicopters it
builds. Most are military machines,
with about 30% of its production
for the civil market.
Completed in 1979, facilities in
Grand Prairie, Texas are now
occupied by AHC. But the facility,
midway between Dallas and Ft.
Worth, is more of a giant
completion center than a
manufacturing plant. Aerospatiale,
the French parent, manufacturers
and assembles the basic aircraft in
France. Helicopters destined for
the North American market are
assembled and even test flown,
then disassembled into fuselage,
tail boom, and dynamic
components for shipment to
Houston. Following the completion
of the journey to Grand Prairie,
the sections are then reassembled
(with U.S. made engines in the
case of most AStars) with avionics,
interiors, and other customerordered options.
Aerospatiaie's significant
position in the U.S. market is
largely a result of advanced
technology in composite rotor
blade, rotor head, and fuselage
materials. The company pulled into
the lead in R & D on such
materials while U.S. manufacturers
spent their energies producing and
modifying helicopters for armed
forces in Viet Nam.
Before the AStar, very little
composite material was used in
helicopter construction. But the
new, multi-mission craft changed
all that, as 457o of the vehicle is
made up of composite materials.
The list includes fiberglass,
graphite, aramid fibers, epoxy and
boron - lighter than metal parts
and easier to manufacture. The
new materials are also expected to
be more resistant to fatigue - and
have longer TBO's (time between
overhauls).
A comparison between
composite and conventional
materials illustrates the point. The
AStar all-fiberglass "Starflex rotor
hub has 70 individual parts and
weighs 130 pounds. A similar hub
of metal construction has 377 parts

and weighs 238 pounds. And the

Starflex hub is 35% less expensive.
Another prime example of
composite material construction is
the new HH-65A Dolphin (a
derivative of the SA365N Dauphin)
developed for the U.S. Coast
Guard. Aerospatiale won a $215
million contract to build 90 of the
craft for the Coast Guard's SRR
(Short Range and Recovery)
program. The HH-65A will consist
of about 50% composite materials,
and will replace aging H-52's
currently providing search and
rescue duties for the nation's
seacoasts.
The HH-65A will include one of
the most advanced helicopter
avionics systems in the world,
including an on-board navigation
and instrument computer
connected to four CRT display
terminals. First deliveries will take
place this year, with the total
complement of aircraft deliveries
stretched over several years.
Aerospatiale manufacturers a
wide range of helicopters, from the
4,300 pound, six seat AStar 350 at
$398,000 to the 18,410 pound 25
seat Super puma at $4,150,000.

The Alouette III, while no longer

in production for the North
American market, is slowly
becoming obsolete by competition
from both French and U.S. made
rotary-wing machines. But for over
a decade, the Alouette III was the
only vehicle capable of many
helicopter missions in this country.
Back in the early '70's, when
energy, forestry, and construction
projects started to expand in the
western states, the need became
apparent for a helicopter capable
of performing at high altitudes. As
much of the U.S. market was
targeted for low altitude
operations, engines built for U.S.
made helicopters simply were not
capable of sustained high-altitude
performance. Several western
helicopter companies acquired the
only available machinery for the
task, the Aerospatiale Lama and
its sister - the Alouette Ill.
Fortunate for the Alouette,
Denver became the first city to
have a hospital-based, 24 hour per
day helicopter program in 1972.
The Alouette was unique - not
only could it perform well in the

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HOSPITAL AVIATION, MAY 1983

11

Colorado Rockies - it was the only

light turbine helicopter capable of
containing two stretcher patients
and two medical attendants.
Most of the hospital programs
that followed the Denver
innovation cloned their entire
program, including the Alouette
III. As the aeromedical concept
grew in following years, the
Alouette remained the dominant
machine. It was not until 1982 that
the Alouette slipped below 50% of
the hospital market. But by then,
Aerospatiale had two models of
the AStar and was introducing the
TwinStar. Today, facing
competition from three other
helicopter manufacturers,
Aerospatiale, with three basic EMS
helicopter platforms, still holds a
50% share of the market.
Setting a positive trend was the
acquisition of 5 new AS355F
TwinStars by Hermann Hospital in
Houston early this year. The
TwinStars were equipped with
many features not found
previously on many aeromedical
helicopters, including freon air
conditioning and Loran C
navigation computers. The move
culminates a 12-year period for
Aerospatiale of completing 12
different EMS designs for use in
six helicopter models.
" W e learned years ago that
there is no universal 'ideal' EMS
helicopter configuration, since

missions vary from one service and

one hospital to another," said Ron
LaFleur, A H C ' s vice president of
marketing. "Therefore, we decided
to meet as many customer
requirements as possible. So far as
I know, we offer the widest
selection of in-house developed
EMS configurations of any
manufacturer."
That marketing philosophy,
backed up by A H C ' s engineering
and production groups, has helped
the company establish itself as an
industry leader in EMS helicopters.
"We took the lead in the EMS
field with the Alouette III, and
we're confident that our AStar and
Ecureuil, TwinStar, and Dauphin 2
are going to take up where the
Alouette III left o f f , " said
LaFleur.
Advanced-design features and
the use of new and improved
materials in the new models
represent high-technology
improvements over the older
technology helicopters in a variety
of categories, including
performance, operating costs,
maintainability, flight
characteristics, etc.
A H C currently offers three basic
models for EMS use throughout
North America:
AS350D AStar (or AS350B
Ecureuil), a single-engine model
capable of handling two patients
and up to three attendants.

The H H - 6 5 A Dolphin (militarF version of the SA 365 Dauphin 2) is in

production /or the U. S. Coast Guard. The H H - 6 5 A , with advanced
computers and avionics, will be one of the most sophisticated
helicopters ever built.
12

HOSPITALAVIATION, MAY 1983

Operational since 1978, the

AS350D is powered by a 615-shp
Avco Lycoming LTS 101-600A2
turbine engine. The AS350B has
essentially the same airframe, but
is equipped with a 641-shp
Turbomeca Arriel turbine engine.
The 350D cruises up to 147 mph
and has a 480 mile range. The
350B has a 447 mile range.
AS355F TwinStar, a twin-engine
version of the AStar, equipped
with two Allison 250-C20F turbine
engines each producing 420 shp for
takeoff. The TwinStar's EMS
configuration possibilities are
identical to those of the AStar,
and it cruises at speeds up to 150
mph, and has a 472 mile range.
SA365N Dauphin 2, a larger,
faster, twin-turbine aircraft that
can be equipped as a genuine
airborne trauma center. This is
AHC's top-of-the-line EMS model,
with ample room for up to three
patients and three attendants, plus
sufficient space for an extensive
array of life-saving equipment. The
larger cabin provides an even
greater selection of interior
arrangements. The conventional
Dauphin 2 seats up to 14 persons.
The craft has two 700-shp
Turbomeca Arriel turbine engines,
cruises up to 180 mph, and has a
564 mile range with standard fuel.
For each of these models, A H C
offers all the primary
components necessary in any
EMS configuration. These include
such items as litter and litter racks,
attendant seating, airframe
modifications, patient oxygen,
special lighting, equipment
pouches, radios and intercom
systems, A C / D C power
receptacles, etc.
Current interior configurations
offered by A H C on its EMS
models include Dual Transverse,
Fore-and-Aft Sliding litters, and
Fore-and-Aft Fixed litter
arrangements. These options offer
a variety of choices with regard to
positioning of patients, seating of
the attendants, mounting of
emergency equipment, loading and
unloading of litters, with the
customer being able to select the
desired configuration.
It's obvious that Aerospatiale
will remain an industry leader in
the aeromedical helicopter market.
And it's intriguing what the
industry will develop in years to
come.