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The “game-changing” Eurocopter X³ hybrid helicopter receives high marks from U.S. operators

July 23, 2012

Eurocopter’s X³ hybrid helicopter is earning significant praise during its ongoing U.S. demonstration tour, with a wide spectrum of operators across the country lauding this revolutionary aircraft’s advanced capabilities for a variety of applications.

The tour’s latest stop occurred today in Manassas, Virginia, where the X³ performed a flight presentation for local dignitaries, elected officials and journalists – showcasing the hybrid helicopter’s excellent flight qualities, maneuverability, and outstanding acceleration/deceleration capabilities.

Since its June 20 kickoff at American Eurocopter’s Grand Prairie, Texas headquarters, the X³ tour has enabled multiple U.S. commercial and military operators to take the controls and experience this hybrid helicopter first-hand.

According to American Eurocopter President & CEO Marc Paganini, the innovation of parent company Eurocopter is motivated by customer requirements – by finding new ways to offer innovative and affordable helicopters. “We believe the X³ is the perfect example of this,” he added, speaking during a media briefing at Manassas Regional Airport. “We think this is the future of aviation, and that it will be a game-changer.”

This sentiment was echoed later in the media briefing as Paganini presented testimonials from pilots who flew the X³ during its U.S. tour. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with comments from operators that span a variety of market segments – including law enforcement, medical airlift, offshore operations, utility, aircraft services and more.

Here is a sample of the testimonials received from guest pilots during the X³’s U.S. demonstration flights:

• Dennis McCall, Air Methods Corporation [air medical transport]: “The aircraft is amazing. When I got out of the hybrid helicopter, the only thing I could think about was: ‘I’ve been X3’ed,’ and unless you’ve been in there flying it, you won’t know what we’re talking about.”
• Larry Adams, RLC [off-shore operator in the Gulf of Mexico]: “The X³ performs better as an experimental aircraft than anything I’ve ever flown.”
• Louis Duran, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department [law enforcement]: “The speed for a helicopter is awesome. To be able to go on station that fast is amazing for me, and just overall, I found it to be quite an aircraft.”
• Scott Urschel, Pylon Aviation [helicopter services]: “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I’ve never flown an aircraft that will climb and continually maintain airspeed in the climb. The versatility of it is hard to explain until you’ve actually flown in it. It’s impressive to watch it fly, but the experience in the cockpit is unbelievable.”

American Eurocopter envisions a broad range of applications in the U.S. marketplace for the hybrid technology, including long-distance search & rescue, coast guard operations, border patrol, passenger transport and off-shore airlift, along with inter-city shuttle services. The X³ also is well-suited for military missions in special forces operations, troop transport, combat SAR and medical evacuation – benefitting from the combination of higher cruise speeds with excellent vertical takeoff and landing performance.

Today’s Manassas event was an initial stopover on the U.S. tour’s final leg, to be followed by military flight demonstrations at Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army Airfield on July 24 and 25 – where service pilots will have a chance to fly the hybrid helicopter. The X³ will conclude its tour with a visit to the Pentagon on July 26, followed by a flight aboard a chartered cargo aircraft from Virginia to its home operating base at the Istres flight test center in southern France.

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