LowOps Learn · Ground course

AS350 B3e / H125

The single-engine workhorse of utility, tour and EMS flying — the whole aircraft, system by system, from the Starflex head to the emergencies. Every chapter has a quick version and an in-depth one.

48 chapters888 cards 232 questions170 sources

Quick shows the essentials of each chapter (265 cards). In-depth adds the mechanism, the variant differences and the case studies. Start with chapter one.

Draft course. Educational only. Not approved training material, and never a substitute for the Rotorcraft Flight Manual, an instructor, or your operator's procedures. Figures marked as manufacturer data or test results are not limitations. This content is a draft and has not yet been reviewed by an instructor.

Part 1The aircraft

History, variants, dimensions, limitations, airframe

  1. Meet the AstarOne aircraft, several names — and a rotor that turns the other way9 min
  2. The family treeB2, B3, B3e — and why it matters which one you're in11 min
  3. Dimensions and massesHow big, how heavy, and what that means on the ground7 min
  4. Living with the limitationsWhere the limits come from, and why they move11 min
  5. Airframe and cabinWhat holds it together, and what you open on the walkaround8 min

Part 2Rotors and flight controls

Starflex, blades, controls, tail rotor

  1. The Starflex headThree hinges' worth of motion, and no hinges12 min
  2. Main-rotor bladesComposite blades, and what they tell you7 min
  3. Cyclic, collective and the swashplateHow your hands reach the blades10 min
  4. The disc in forward flightDissymmetry of lift, flapping, and the retreating blade10 min
  5. Tail rotor and yawHolding the nose straight — and when it can't12 min
  6. Ground resonanceWhen the rotor and the gear start to dance7 min

Part 3Power and systems

Engine, FADEC, drive, fuel, hydraulics, electrics

  1. The Arriel 2DTwo turbines, two shafts, one computer11 min
  2. Oil, start and ignitionWhat keeps the engine alive, and how it wakes up8 min
  3. FADEC and engine controlThe computer between your hand and the fuel10 min
  4. The VEMD and First Limit IndicatorTwo screens, one needle that matters most9 min
  5. Transmission and freewheelFrom turbine to rotor, and the freewheel between them11 min
  6. Fuel systemOne tank, and how it can save your life — or not11 min
  7. HydraulicsLight controls, and what happens when the boost goes13 min
  8. Electrical systemStarter-generator, battery and bus7 min

Part 4Cockpit and equipment

Warnings, instruments, lighting, options

  1. Warning panel, gong and hornWhat the lights and tones are telling you10 min
  2. Instruments and avionicsFlight instruments, avionics fits and optional autopilot8 min
  3. Lighting, heating and ventilationLights, NVG cockpits, cabin heat and air conditioning8 min
  4. Landing gear and mission equipmentSkids, floats, hooks and cutters — and their supplements9 min

Part 5Performance and loading

Charts, density altitude, weight and balance

  1. PerformanceDensity altitude, hover charts and the height-velocity diagram14 min
  2. Weight and balanceWhere the mass is matters as much as how much there is11 min

Part 6Flying the Astar

Walkaround, start-up, handling, mountain, load, utility

  1. The walkaroundWhat to look at, and why each thing is on the list10 min
  2. Start, run-up and shutdownWhat each check proves11 min
  3. Handling the AstarLight controls, a clockwise rotor, and habits from other types10 min
  4. Mountain and high-altitude flyingWind, power margin and a way out9 min
  5. External loadThe work the Astar is famous for11 min
  6. Utility and wire-environment workLow, slow and among the wires10 min

Part 7Emergencies

Recognition, reasons and traps — procedures stay in the RFM

  1. How emergencies workFly first, then diagnose, then follow the book9 min
  2. Engine failureRecognising it, and the seconds that follow9 min
  3. AutorotationNo engine, still flying11 min
  4. Engine control failuresWhen the governor stops governing9 min
  5. Tail-rotor failuresDrive, control and boost — three different problems8 min
  6. Hydraulic failureHeavy controls, and the reason for the run-on landing8 min
  7. Fire and smokeIn the air, on the ground, and after an accident8 min
  8. Chips, oil pressure and temperatureWhat the transmission and engine are telling you7 min
  9. Electrical failuresGenerator off, battery on, clock running6 min
  10. The rest of the listLow fuel, ditching, inadvertent IMC, bird strike, doors, load jettison11 min

Part 8Astar hazards

Servo transparency, LTE, VRS, rollover, low g, wires

  1. Servo transparencyWhen the controls push back11 min
  2. Loss of tail-rotor effectivenessLow, slow, downwind — and a yaw to the left11 min
  3. Vortex ring stateDescending into your own downwash10 min
  4. Dynamic rolloverA pivot and a push9 min
  5. Low g, and why mast bumping isn't an Astar hazardThe right lesson from the wrong rotor6 min
  6. Retreating blade stallThe speed limit the rotor sets8 min
  7. Wire strikesThe hazard LowOps was built for9 min