The AS 350 Écureuil ("Squirrel") and AS 355 Écureuil 2 are a family of light helicopters originally manufactured by Aérospatiale (now part of Eurocopter Group). The AS 350 (marketed as the AStar in North America) is the single-engined version, while the AS 355 (TwinStar) uses two engines. The EC 130B is a recent adaptation of the AS 350 airframe.

Design and development

Development began in the early 1970's to replace the Alouette II, and the first flight took place on 27 June 1974.  A twin-engined version, known as the Écureuil 2, Twin Squirrel, or in North America as the Twin Star, first flew on 3 October 1979. The EC 130 is a modern single-engine variant that first flew on 24 June 1999. Initially introduced to the market in 2001 for a tour operator, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, the EC130 features an enclosed tail fan rather than the traditional tail rotor found on the older AS350. This Fenestron (French for "small window") has the advantage of reducing outside noise by 50% compared to a tail rotor. The EC130 features much more cockpit glass than the AS350 which makes it popular with tour operators. Despite the introduction of the EC130, production of the Eurocopter AS 350 and AS 355, and the AS 550 and AS 555 Fennec military versions remains strong.

Both single and twin-engined versions have been built under licence in Brazil.

Operational history

On May 14, 2005 an AS 350B3 piloted by Eurocopter test pilot Didier Delsalle set an absolute world record for highest helicopter landing and takeoff. The standard-configured Ecureuil touched down at 8 850 meters (29 035 feet) on the top of Mt. Everest. This report has been questioned and is unconfirmed.