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Posted
Just curious, What is the difference between the 350 A-star and the 355 Twin Star?
Posted

Ahh :P  "twin" probably should have tipped me off on that.  

I just haven't heard much about those, are they not that popular?

Posted

T A-Star, or Squirrel as they are known in Aus, is the AS-350, and the twin is the AS-355. The twin has to have separate tanks. This is for the "engine out option", contaminated fuel, hole in tank, ect....

Try this link ( for full details you will have to download the PDF)Eurocopter

Posted

Twinstar-2 Allison 250s until beyond the 355F series. (N's are Turbomecas, I think.)

355-F1 grosses 5291, empty wt approx 3050, cruises 120 or so when light and drops to 115 at gross. Uses 60 gal per hour out of 191 (or so-been a long time) in two tanks-106 forward and 85 aft? Two mechanically driven hyraulic systems, duplication except tail rotor servo.

Reasonable single engine performance for it's era.

F-2 grosses 5600, approx same empty weight, etc. You lose some cruise speed and single engine capability at higher gross compared to the F1.

You lose a lot of weight fueling that second engine compared to the 350B.

 

I prefer the Astar, excepting- engine out performance; and the belt(!) driven single hydraulic.

350B, empty weights I've seen-3000 lbs, gross 4300, cruises a little better than 120 and a joy to fly at 45 gal out of a single, unbaffled 143 gal tank.

350B2, a few pounds heavier, more horses than the 350B, and the Twinstar rotor system. Little more stable. All the useful power I ever need at the altitudes I work. 48 gals an hour, same tank, and slightly slower than the B-which all relates to gross, like the 355...

 

A 350-B2 will fly farther, faster, cheaper and easier on the pilot, than the 355F's-again excepting engine out performance. No experience with the N's or newer AStars-B3's and EC 130.

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