Getting Spoiled in an AStar

Pia Bergqvist

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 08:14 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The author had their first significant experience flying a Eurocopter AS350B3 AStar helicopter, describing the flight as relaxing and requiring remarkably small, precise control inputs on the cyclic.
While helicopters share some controls with fixed-wing aircraft (e.g., pedals for yaw, cyclic for pitch/roll in forward flight), they differ significantly, notably requiring constant cyclic input and introducing a "collective" lever for vertical control.
Impressed by the aircraft's responsiveness and simplified throttle management in the turbine-powered AStar, the author recommends the experience and hopes to pursue a helicopter pilot rating.

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Once again, a new flying bug has bit me. This time the bite came from a bug-like aircraft – a helicopter. I had a chance to fly a Eurocopter AS350B3, also known as an AStar, the same type of helicopter that landed on top of Mt. Everest a few years ago and set an unbeatable record for the highest altitude landing and takeoff.

But while the AStar is capable of reaching more than 29,000 feet (while only certified to 23,000 feet), I wasn’t looking for altitude. I flew at 1,000 feet along the beautiful beaches south of Santa Barbara, California and then over the mountains to Lake Castaic before bringing the chopper back to Camarillo for lunch.