Newbie

[Bellcrank]

I just heard that there is a new helicopter company starting in the Lesser Slave Lake area and that the entry vehicle is a EC120 ????????

[Cole]

Those 120's are interesting to watch... Theres been one rippin around here the past few days, I think (stress think) it belongs to Kokanee, but im not 100% sure.

 

The fenestron makes such a cool sound.

 

Cole

[Fogged In]

Good way to take the Jet Ranger work. Get in a 120 and you'll never want to touch a 206 again.

[bubba]

They are also a dream to work on!!!!!!

[Rotorhead]

Those 120's are interesting to watch... Theres been one rippin around here the past few days, I think (stress think) it belongs to Kokanee, but im not 100% sure.

 

The fenestron makes such a cool sound.

 

Cole

 

If it is cruising around Penticton, it is likely the one that CHL just bought for the school.

 

RH

[Cole]

Really? Cool!, Ill be out at the airport tomorow so i might have to drop by and see.

[offset]

Yeah nothing like something shinny and new to catch the eye. I heard they go for more $ than a B206 and can't do much more work, and the engine is underpowered for the airframe of course I have to nothing to back up these wild accusation's that's why I'm putting in my two cents so someone can prove me wrong... bring it on...

[collective]

well..having nothing to back up wild accusations is truly when one should make them!

 

Having had occasion to fly them, I will agree. There is a need for more power. However, what is lacking in that area is more than made up for in other areas. I have moved two (2) quads at a time on the hook a good distance with one and will say they do it just as well, if not more comfortable, then the jetranger will. And in level flight are much quicker. My two cents worth.

[helidude]

I heard they go for more $ than a B206 and can't do much more work, and the engine is underpowered for the airframe

 

Wrong and wrong!!!!

 

We tested one against one of our Jetrangers before we bought ours. We loaded five people in the 120, four in the 206. The 120 had 40 min more fuel than the 206. The 206 took off before the 120, they both flew to Margaret Lake tower and back (53 Nautical miles one way I think) and the 120 came back 0.2 sooner than the 206 (with one extra passenger and 40 min more fuel!!)

 

Eurocopter claims the 120 is $50 000.00 less than an equaly equipped New JetRanger. It does a lot more than a JetRanger for the same fuel burn!

 

Is it underpowered? Sometimes but as long as you respect the internal and external weight limits, power is usually not an issue. The problem is that there is so much room in them, you have to be disciplined not to load them up full of cargo and passengers like you would an Astar.

 

Why we like them more than JetRangers:

-Faster

-Safer (They meet the new design criteria i.e. higher survivability seats, roll over protection, automatic fuel shut off in the event of a rollover etc. and LTE is not an issue when hovering downwind due to the Fenestron) I'm not saying the jetranger isn't safe, it's just a 40 year old design and it doesn't have to meet the new standards.

-Huge cargo compartment

-Customers actually look forward to flying in them!

-100 hr inspections are a breeze

-The Eurocopter service has been good so far (we've never had a problem with BELL in the past but then again, everybody and their dog supports Bell Products!)

 

What we don't like about them:

-The M/R rpm's change with oat temperature changes.

-The M/R rpm's can't be adjusted by the pilots.

-The M/R lift drops dramatically when the M/R rpm's drop with an increase in o.a.t.

-The protective paint around the edges of the windows flakes off easily.

-The 500 hr inspection is very time consuming. The aircraft has to be grounded at least one full day to allow the graph oil on the Mast and Fenestron blades to dry (doing it overnight doesn't allow enough time to do it properly).

-Some parts are hard to come by. I ordered two push buttons in November, their delivery date is the 10th of October 2007

-Eurocopter is pretty much your only source for parts.

-Not many after market kits for them yet.

 

All in all, we are glad we chose the 120's and in case you're wondering, we don't operate Jetrangers anymore and to my knowledge, we haven't lost any work because someone specifically wanted a Jetranger.

Let the cynics remain cynics, we're more than happy to be the only EC120 operator in our area!

[borntofly]

helidude, what's your company? i have my ec120 endorssement with +-500 hrs on it and i would like to fly it again.....my company sold MY(lol) ec120 last spring .