AS350 B3e course · The aircraft
Dimensions and masses
How big, how heavy, and what that means on the ground
The essentials
The H125's main rotor is 10.69 m across and its fuselage nearly 11 m long. The type certificate gives a maximum take-off mass of 2,250 kg with an internal load (2,370 kg with a weight-extension mod); Airbus quotes 2,800 kg with an external load on the hook.
For confined areas, the number that matters is the rotor disc plus the tail rotor, not the fuselage. For loading, the numbers that matter are in your aircraft's own weight and balance report and RFM.
The aircraft in numbers
| Main rotor diameter | 10.69 m (35 ft)1 |
|---|---|
| Tail rotor diameter | 1.86 m1 |
| Fuselage length | 10.93 m1 |
| Seats | Pilot plus five, or six with the optional forward two-place seat1 |
| Max take-off mass, internal load | 2,250 kg (2,370 kg with a weight-extension mod)1 |
| Max take-off mass, external load | 2,800 kg (Airbus figure)2 |
| Cargo hook | up to 1,400 kg (Airbus figure)4 |
Footprint and height
Why two maximum masses
With a load on the hook the aircraft may weigh more than with the same load inside. The external load can be jettisoned, and the operation is conducted under separate rules — in the US, 14 CFR Part 133 — with its own limitations.
The higher figure is not a general allowance. It applies only when the extra mass is on the hook, under the RFM's external-load supplement.
Not every H125 is the same
Two internal maximum masses are in circulation. The type certificate allows 2,370 kg for B3s with a weight-extension modification (OP-3369), against the standard 2,250 kg; Airbus quotes the higher figure for H125s with the optional dual hydraulics.
In 2020 Airbus also released more of the Arriel 2D's power through a VEMD software change: up to 140 kg more lifting capability, or up to 190 kg with BLR's FastFin, standard on new aircraft and offered as a retrofit for VEMD-equipped B3e/H125s (Airbus figures).
Which applies depends on modification state. The limitations section of that aircraft's RFM is the only answer.
Useful load in practice
Airbus quotes a useful load of about 1,075 kg for the H125 and a standard fuel load of about 425 kg (Airbus figures; the tank holds 540 litres). Full fuel takes roughly 40% of the useful load before anyone climbs in.
The published figure assumes a particular empty mass. Real aircraft carry interiors, avionics, hooks, mirrors, floats, high skids and cutters, each adding mass. The useful load of the helicopter in front of you is its maximum mass minus the empty mass in its current weight and balance report.
In practice you trade fuel against payload — and on a hot day at altitude, performance may decide before the mass limit does.
Planning the space
With the rotors turning the aircraft is about 12.94 m from the front of the disc to the back of the tail rotor. That is the smallest footprint it can have, before any margin for drift, wind or what you cannot see.
Choose the landing point for the disc and tail first, then the approach and departure paths and an escape route. In a confined area the tail is the part you cannot watch, so put it where nothing can reach it — away from people, brush, slopes and the approach path of anyone on foot.
Rotor clearance on the ground
A stopped or slowly turning rotor droops, and wind can push a blade lower still. The disc at ground idle is not the disc in flight.
On a slope the disc is closer to the ground on the upslope side. People should approach and leave on the downslope side, in the pilot's view, and never towards the tail.
Brief passengers and ground crew before every flight, not only the first: the tail rotor is the hazard they cannot see or hear above the engine.
What is the H125's maximum take-off mass with an internal load, per Airbus?
2,250 kg — the standard internal figure (type certificate); Airbus quotes 2,370 kg only with the optional dual hydraulics, and 2,800 kg only with the extra mass on the hook. Your RFM gives the limits for your aircraft's configuration.
Why may the aircraft weigh more with an external load?
A load on the hook can be released, and external-load work is flown under its own approval and RFM supplement. That is why a higher mass is permitted for it, and only for it.
Where do you find the actual empty mass of the aircraft you are about to fly?
The weight and balance report. Published figures assume a particular configuration; the report reflects the interior and equipment actually fitted — provided it is current.
Airbus quotes about 425 kg of fuel and about 1,075 kg of useful load for the H125. With full fuel, what is left?
Roughly 650 kg for pilot, passengers, baggage and cargo — and less on an aircraft whose equipment makes it heavier than the published empty mass. Your weight and balance report gives the real figure.
Sources
- Type-Certificate Data Sheet R.008, AS 350 / EC 130 · EASA
- H125 technical information · Airbus Helicopters
- Proven pedigree: low cost, low noise and low vibration led Eurocopter's design priorities for its AS350B3 · Flight International · 1 September 1999
- H125 — product page · Airbus Helicopters · Dual hydraulics / 2,370 kg internal MTOW; 1,400 kg sling load
- 14 CFR Part 133, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations · U.S. eCFR
- More power and enhanced aerial work capabilities for the H125 · Airbus Helicopters · January 2020
- Helicopter Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21B) · FAA · Chapter 6, Weight and Balance
- Helicopter Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21B) · FAA · Chapter 7, Helicopter Performance
- Helicopter Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21B) · FAA · Chapter 10, Advanced Flight Maneuvers
- Aérospatiale AS 350 AStar · This Day in Aviation
- Helicopter Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21B) · FAA · Chapter 8, Ground Procedures and Flight Preparations
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.