Eurocopter AS-350 Ecureuil Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Eurocopter AS-350 Écureuil

Eurocopter AS-350 Écureuil from Monaco.
Role	Light helicopter
National origin	France & Germany
Manufacturer	Aérospatiale, and after Eurocopter.
First flight	1974
Introduction	1975
Status	Active
Number built	more than 5000 examples.

The Eurocopter AS-350 Ecureuil (say "Eh-koo-ROY") is a very popular light helicopter. It was first designed and built in France by a company called Aérospatiale. Later, another company, Eurocopter, started making it.

This helicopter is one of the most important civilian (non-military) helicopters in the world. It's used for many different jobs, just like the United States' Bell 206 helicopter. Many AS-350 Ecureuils are also used by militaries around the globe.

How It's Built
Different Kinds of Ecureuil Helicopters
Images for kids
See also

How It's Built

This helicopter uses one powerful turboshaft engine. A turboshaft engine is like a jet engine, but it spins a shaft that turns the helicopter's main rotor blades. The AS-350 Ecureuil is built mostly from metal, which makes it very strong.

It can usually carry one pilot and at least five passengers. Many of these helicopters are used for special tasks, like lifting things for construction or helping with rescues. There's a special version called the AS-350B3 that is made to fly really well in places with high altitudes, like tall mountains.

Different Kinds of Ecureuil Helicopters

Over the years, different versions of the Ecureuil have been made for various purposes:

The Aérospatiale AS-350Z was an experimental (test) helicopter. It had a special tail rotor called a Fenestron, which looks like a fan inside a ring. This is similar to the tail rotor on the Aérospatiale SA-342 Gazelle helicopter.
The Eurocopter AS-550 Fennec is a special version of the Ecureuil made for military use.
The Eurocopter AS-355 Ecureuil 2 is a different model that uses two turboshaft engines instead of just one.