AirSkyBuster : Aircraft and Airplane

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Eurocopter X3 (Wallpaper 4)
4. Photo wallpaper gallery of Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft. 4. Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft pictures and images collection.
In the flight testing performed thus far, the flight envelope has been opened with and without autopilot to validate the basic hybrid demonstrator aircraft’s stability and handling characteristics. The X3 has reached an altitude of 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) and performed maneuvers with left and right turns at bank angles of up to 60 degrees. The X3 flights to date were performed by Eurocopter test pilot Hervé Jammayrac and flight test engineer Daniel Semioli at the French DGA test facility in Istres. “The X3 has performed extremely well, demonstrating handling and flight qualities that are exactly in line with our ground-based simulator evaluations,” Jammayrac said. “This helicopter is really built for speed, and our test team looks forward to taking the X3 to the next steps of its flight regime.” Having already surpassed the speed of a traditional helicopter, the next milestone for the demonstrator is the Step 2 phase at Eurocopter’s headquarters in Marignane, France, where the X3 will enter a second set of flight tests during which it is expected to reach sustained cruise speeds in excess of 220 kts. The X3 utilizes a Eurocopter Dauphin helicopter airframe. It is equipped with two turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system, along with two propellers installed on shortspan fixed wings. This hybrid configuration creates an advanced transportation system that offers the speed of a turboprop-powered aircraft and the full hover flight capabilities of a helicopter. It is tailored to applications where operational costs, flight duration and mission success depend directly on the maximum cruising speed.

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Eurocopter X3 (Wallpaper 3)
3. Photo wallpaper gallery of Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft. 3. Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft pictures and images collection.
Aboard the aircraft were Eurocopter test pilot Hervé Jammayrac and flight test engineer Daniel Semioli “We were impressed by the ease at which this speed objective was attained,” Jammayrac explained. “The X3 handles extremely well, demonstrating remarkable stability at high speed – even with the autopilot off. We are very proud of this achievement, which results from the dedicated efforts of all those who have worked on the project.” Eurocopter began X3 flight testing last September in a program that combines the excellent vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter with aircraft-type fast cruise speeds of more than 220 kts. After the X3 achieved the initial true airspeed goal of 180 kts. (333 km./hr.) in November at a reduced level of engine power, the X3 underwent its planned gearbox upgrade and safety inspection. Since returning to flight last week, the X3 quickly demonstrated its performance at full engine power, including impressive climb and descent rates, as well as excellent maneuverability, while also confirming the hybrid propulsion system’s outstanding capabilities for acceleration and deceleration. In the test program to date, the X3’s basic handling characteristics and stability have been validated throughout the aircraft’s flight envelope without the need of a stability augmentation system, which has been confirmed in testing performed with the autopilot disengaged and engaged. In addition, the hybrid aircraft has low vibration levels without the use of passive or active anti-vibration systems, providing flight characteristics comparable to those of the best traditional design helicopters currently in service. The X3 utilizes a Eurocopter Dauphin helicopter airframe equipped with two turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system and two propellers which are installed on short-span fixed wings. This hybrid configuration creates an advanced transportation system offering the speed of a turboprop-powered aircraft and the full hover flight capabilities of a helicopter.

image dimensions : 1092 x 682

Eurocopter X3 (Wallpaper 2)
2. Photo wallpaper gallery of Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft. 2. Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft pictures and images collection.
The Eurocopter X3 (X-Cube) is an experimental compound helicopter under development by Eurocopter. It is intended to fly at speeds of over 220 knots (250 mph; 410 km/h). The X3 demonstrator is based on a Eurocopter EC155 helicopter with the addition of short span wings each fitted with a tractor propeller. The tractor propellers are gear driven from the two main turboprop engines which also drive the five-bladed main rotor. The helicopter is designed to prove the concept of a high-speed helicopter which depends on the slowing down of the rotor speed to avoid drag from the advancing blade tip, and to avoid retreating blade stall by unloading the rotor while a small wing takes up lift instead. The X3 first flew on 6 September 2010 from French Délégation Générale de l'Armement facility at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base. On 12 May 2011 the X3 flew at a speed of 430 km/h (267 mph) for several minutes. General characteristics: Crew: 2 Length: ft in (m) Rotor diameter: ft in (m) Height: ft in (m) Disc area: ft² (m²) Empty weight: lb (kg) Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft, 2,270 shp (1,693 kW) each Main Rotor: five-bladed, with two five bladed tractor propellers gear driven off main engines. Performance: Cruise speed: 220< knots (407 km/h) Service ceiling: 12500 ft (3810 m) Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s).

image dimensions : 1092 x 682

Eurocopter X3 (Wallpaper 1)
1. Photo wallpaper gallery of Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft. 1. Eurocopter X3 Helicopter aircraft pictures and images collection.
As Eurocopter presses ahead with development of its X3 technology demonstrator with a view to introducing the radical high-speed technology commercially in six years, the key challenge is not technical development, but finding an agency to certificate the machine. Chief executive Lutz Bertling, speaking at his annual state-of-Eurocopter briefing in Paris, said dealings with the Federal Aviation Administration or European Aviation Safety Agency will "take time", because the X3, with its main helicopter-style lifting rotor and side-mounted forward-drive propellers, may been seen as something in-between a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft. Meanwhile, development of the X3 - which first flew in September 2010, is going "surprisingly" well, says Bertling. The flight simulator, which has been in operation for two years, turned out to be highly representative of the actual aerial performance, so development is proceeding with relative ease, he says. Separately, Bertling pointed to a 2011 launch of the much-anticipated X4, which he promised will be a revolutionary step forward in helicopter technology. Bertling insists the machine - destined to replace the AS365 Dauphin - will be a "game changer" that introduces a "completely different" way of flying compared with today's helicopters. As for the X3, Eurocopter hopes to introduce the technology on most new models eventually - ideally as what would be in effect an alternative to a conventional helicopter, with a great degree of mechanical similarity. The first use of X3 technology is likely to come in about six years, as a replacement for the EC225 Super Puma.