The UK’s first EC155 B1 (registration G-NIVA) was the star of the show at the BGAD05 exhibition held at Cambridge City Airport on September 15. Despite poor weather conditions during the first half of the day, a crowd gathered to witness the arrival of the EC155 as it touched down at the airport, taking the place of the Falcon 2000EX EASy which had attracted visitors all morning.

Lanthwaite Aviation owns the eight-seat helicopter and it will be operated by Starspeed, based at Blackbushe Airport.

With a price tag of about £6 million, the aircraft can carry a maximum of eight and is due to begin operations before the end of September.

Three pilots will be trained to operate the helicopter. With a cruise speed of 155 knots and a range of 400 nm, the EC155 should easily reach destinations such as the Outer Hebrides and Marseilles. The aircraft can reach Edinburgh from Cambridge in one hour and 55 minutes.

Extra features include leather seating, a cavernous 2.5 cubic metre storage space, and cabin dimensions measuring 2.5m long, 2m wide and 1.5m high. The helicopter has also been fitted with a full IFE system, incorporating a DVD, CD player and radio.

The EC155, which is powered by two Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 free turbine engines, has been designed for a variety of roles, including vip transport and offshore operations.