Houston,
From the Eurocopter booth at Heli-Expo, American Eurocopter announced that TEMSCO Helicopters has signed for an AS350 B3 helicopter as it begins a fleet upgrade program. TEMSCO’s fleet includes 56 helicopters and 39 of those are Eurocopter aircraft.

“TEMSCO was one of the launch customers for the AStar in North America and they played an integral part in the development of the AS350 B3,” explained Larry Roberts, VP of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support for American Eurocopter. “This is just the first B3 in the upgrade plan and we look forward to working with them in the future as they continue to upgrade their fleet.”

“We have operated AStars since 1983 and we are very comfortable with the reliability and performance of these helicopters,” said Joe Hicks, Senior Vice President of Operations at TEMSCO Helicopters. “The B3 is a workhorse and it is perfect for our fleet upgrade plans. It provides us with the extra power and performance we need, plus the added safety features including dual hydraulics and dual FADEC.”

The AS350 is a powerful and reliable aircraft that has established itself with its unmatched performance, extensive mission equipment options and the safety of its multiple-redundancy system design. With built-in maneuverability, super visibility and low vibration levels in the cabin, the AS350 has earned its reputation as a true multi-mission workhorse. The hot-and-high AS350 B3 version—outfitted with a FADEC-equipped 847-shp Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 – retains the B2’s spacious cabin while boosting the speed up to 140 knots and adding extra lifting capability.

TEMSCO (an acronym from the words: Timber, Exploration, Mining, Survery, Cargo Operations) was founded in 1958 in Ketchikan, Alaska. Its helicopter fleet has grown as it has expanded its operation into tourism, hospital transport, firefighting, international, and other growing markets.

Source: Eurocopter