Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first H175 medium twin with a luxury cabin. The two-zone, seven-passenger layout has a club-four configuration of single executive seats followed by an aft three-place divan. Pegasus Design provided the 434-cu-ft interior for an unidentified private customer who plans to base the helicopter on a yacht in Europe. It is likely a big boat, as the H175 has an mtow of 17,180 pounds.
The soundproofed, quiet interior also features a mini galley, hinged doors to replace the standard sliders, electrically deployed footsteps, electronically dimmable windows, mood lighting, satcom and an in-flight entertainment system with LCD screens, moving map, and tail fin and tail skid cameras. The system can be controlled through onboard dedicated touchscreens or wirelessly through passengers’ mobile devices. “Flying in a helicopter has never been so close to a private jet experience,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus Helicopters president.
The first H175 was delivered in 2014 and the helicopter is currently flying offshore energy missions in the Scottish and Dutch North Sea and off the West African coast. The first public-service variants are scheduled for delivery next year and another private cabin will be delivered later this year. The H175 is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-67Es (1,776 shp each) and features the advanced Helionix avionics system with four-axis autopilot and auto hover that automatically corrects for wind drift. The H175 has a maximum speed of 160 knots and a range of 136 to 600 nm depending on load.
The helicopter was designed to meet the MSG3 maintenance standard. Its tall cowling facilitates access to a variety of systems, and the flared exhaust stacks help whisk heat away more quickly from the work area. A variety of ladder attach points are built into the fuselage, enabling quick climbing. The engines, main gearbox and rotors all have an initial TBO of 5,000 hours.