Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The H125 belongs to the AS350 lineage developed by Aérospatiale and continued through Eurocopter into Airbus Helicopters. Its broad cabin and single turbine support work ranging from passenger transport to observation and external-load operations. The names reflect both the aircraft's history and its markets: Écureuil means squirrel, while AStar is familiar in North America. Older AS350 versions and the modern H125 should not be assumed to have identical equipment.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗An injured climber and weather closing over the glacier
Dulal recalled a rescue that remained particularly vivid among his mountain flying. A climber at Lobuche had a broken leg and altitude sickness, while poor weather complicated reaching the glacier. Bringing the patient aboard took time, and the clouds continued to close around the landing area as the crew worked. The departure required a difficult judgement between worsening conditions and the patient’s need for help.
Airbus Rotor interview, November 2018. Air Dynasty rescue at Lobuche; the exact flight date and airframe registration are not stated.
Airbus / Rotor · Read more ↗The flight bag reflects the selected mission variant
Sim Update 3 removed the cargo tab from the mass-and-balance interface for the Rescue and Rescue Hoist versions. Microsoft also records clearer EFB wording, increased cockpit lighting and corrected rain effects. Those changes are specific to the bundled H125 at the August 2025 release.
H125 · MSFS 2024
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube The Nerdy Heli Simmer
Cowansim H125 As350b3 - First Flight and Quick Review
A first-flight review of the original X-Plane 11 release. The creator notes that helicopter audio was added in editing.
CowanSim H125; X-Plane 11; 2022 review
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Airbus H125
The H125 belongs to the AS350 lineage developed by Aérospatiale and continued through Eurocopter into Airbus Helicopters. Its broad cabin and single turbine support work ranging from passenger transport to observation and external-load operations.
The names reflect both the aircraft's history and its markets: Écureuil means squirrel, while AStar is familiar in North America. Equipment changed through the AS350 and H125 generations. Bundled simulator aircraft and independent add-ons have separate systems descriptions.
Airbus H125
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
The AS350 family reaches the summit of Everest
The FAI records Delsalle’s 14 May 2005 takeoff from Everest in an AS350 B3. The achievement belongs to a specially prepared test mission in that earlier family variant, rather than establishing ordinary passenger or rescue capability at the summit.
FAI · Didier Delsalle’s twentieth-anniversary Everest interview ↗FAI retrospective and record context
Mountain transport makes the aircraft part of daily life
Airbus’s 2018 operator interviews describe helicopters moving climbers and evacuating people affected by illness or injury in Nepal.
Airbus / Rotor · The H125 at the top of the world ↗Manufacturer-hosted operator interviews
Development milestones
First flight: 27 June 1974
Wikipedia contributors · Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil ↗Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1373884153
Pilot accounts
An injured climber and weather closing over the glacier
Dulal recalled a rescue that remained particularly vivid among his mountain flying. A climber at Lobuche had a broken leg and altitude sickness, while poor weather complicated reaching the glacier. Bringing the patient aboard took time, and the clouds continued to close around the landing area as the crew worked.
The departure required a difficult judgement between worsening conditions and the patient’s need for help. Dulal described the flight back through Lukla to Kathmandu as one of his most challenging missions. Dulal also expressed confidence in the H125.
Airbus Rotor interview, November 2018. Air Dynasty rescue at Lobuche; the exact flight date and airframe registration are not stated.
Read the full account · Airbus / Rotor ↗Looking back at Everest and the people behind the flight
Twenty years after Everest, Delsalle’s strongest memories included much more than handling the helicopter. Obtaining permission, arranging supplies and preparing a distant mission on a tight budget had been major obstacles. Engineers and technicians contributed extra time to the project, forming friendships that lasted long after the record flight.
In Nepal, the power of the mountain environment made an equally lasting impression. Delsalle described air movements unlike anything he had expected, reinforcing the respect for terrain he had learned during military training in the Alps. He gave substantial credit for the achievement to the people who designed and prepared the aircraft.
FAI interview · May 2025, recalling the 14 May 2005 Everest landing and takeoff. The record aircraft was an AS350 B3, an earlier family variant; this was an experimental test mission.
Read the full account · FAI ↗Testing a modification against the work he already knew
As a working mountain and rescue pilot, Bourke wanted to understand what the FastFin modification would change in familiar conditions. At Gunnison, the team loaded the test aircraft to resemble his usual missions. The cockpit carried additional instruments and recording equipment, giving the demonstration a different atmosphere from an ordinary working flight.
Bourke noticed smoother heading control during hovering and liked the response as they tried approaches. Dan Smith later demonstrated measured control margins while the displays showed pedal movement. Bourke had not witnessed the unmodified comparison flights, so his own assessment combined this demonstration with experience in other H125s. He came away enthusiastic about the modified aircraft, with his interest rooted in the precision and comfort required when carrying out difficult jobs in the mountains.
Vertical · March 2017. Gunnison evaluation with BLR test pilot Dan Smith in an H125 fitted with the FastFin modification; not an unmodified aircraft.
Read the full account · Vertical ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024H125
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
H125
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024H125
CowanSim · Released
H125
CowanSim · Released
X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12H125
CowanSim · Released
H125
CowanSim · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 10.93 m (35 ft 10 in) (fuselage) |
| Height | 3.145 m (10 ft 4 in) |
| Empty weight | 1,174 kg (2,588 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,250 kg (4,960 lb) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Turbomeca Arriel 2B turboshaft engine, 632 kW (848 hp) |
| Main rotor diameter | 10.7 m (35 ft 1 in) |
| Main rotor area | 89.75 m² (966.1 sq ft) |
| Cruise speed | 245 km/h (152 mph, 132 kn) |
| Range | 662 km (411 mi, 357 nmi) |
| Service ceiling | 4,600 m (15,100 ft) |
| Rate of climb | 8.5 m/s (1,670 ft/min) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
The flight bag reflects the selected mission variantH125 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Sim Update 3 removed the cargo tab from the mass-and-balance interface for the Rescue and Rescue Hoist versions. Microsoft also records clearer EFB wording, increased cockpit lighting and corrected rain effects. Those changes are specific to the bundled H125 at the August 2025 release.
MSFS 2024 Sim Update 3 · 1.5.27.0, 20 August 2025
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Read the source ↗Stability assistance and upper modes do different jobsH125 · CowanSim · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Cowan's HeloSAS uses small cyclic corrections to stabilise the helicopter. The manual distinguishes force-trim behaviour with SAS engaged and disengaged, and explains the difference between spring-centred and non-centring controls. Its upper autopilot modes become selectable above 44 knots in the documented implementation. Stability assistance, rotor-speed governing and route-following modes are separate systems.
Archived document; installed package version not observed · PDF pp.1-2
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Disconnecting an upper mode can leave SAS activeH125 · CowanSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The X-Plane SAS guide distinguishes trim release, upper-mode disconnection and the underlying stability system. Its published force-trim-release and autopilot-disconnect commands have different effects: disconnecting the upper modes can preserve SAS. The documented 44-knot threshold applies to mode availability, not to a universal helicopter operating limit.
Archived X-Plane SAS/AP manual · PDF pp.1-4
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Separate controls for trim, hydraulics and mission equipmentH125 · CowanSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The X-Plane H125 manual identifies cyclic trim, force-trim release and autopilot-off controls. It also describes the collective-mounted hydraulic switch and separate sling-load and servo-test controls. These functions have distinct purposes even when a desktop setup assigns several of them to buttons on the same device.
Cowan H125 guide copyright 2022 · PDF pp.8,21-24
CowanSim · Read the source ↗The VEMD guide includes a significant version limitationH125 · CowanSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The 2022 guide illustrates engine checks and performance pages, but explicitly says the IGE and OGE performance calculations were unfinished in that version. The archived manual leaves the implementation status of later versions open.
Gathered Cowan X-Plane H125 guide · PDF pp.13–19
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Display popups and a post-flight report extend the panelH125 · CowanSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The guide allows either VEMD screen to be popped out onto another monitor. Its flight-report description includes flight duration, engine-cycle information and recorded limitations or failures. The manual describes the engine-cycle counters as partial records.
Gathered Cowan X-Plane H125 guide · PDF pp.18–19
CowanSim · Read the source ↗Pilot account
An injured climber and weather closing over the glacierAirbus Rotor interview, November 2018. Air Dynasty rescue at Lobuche; the exact flight date and airframe registration are not stated.
Dulal recalled a rescue that remained particularly vivid among his mountain flying. A climber at Lobuche had a broken leg and altitude sickness, while poor weather complicated reaching the glacier. Bringing the patient aboard took time, and the clouds continued to close around the landing area as the crew worked. The departure required a difficult judgement between worsening conditions and the patient’s need for help.
Shashwot Dulal
Airbus / Rotor · Read the source ↗Looking back at Everest and the people behind the flightFAI interview · May 2025, recalling the 14 May 2005 Everest landing and takeoff. The record aircraft was an AS350 B3, an earlier family variant; this was an experimental test mission.
Twenty years after Everest, Delsalle’s strongest memories included much more than handling the helicopter. Obtaining permission, arranging supplies and preparing a distant mission on a tight budget had been major obstacles. Engineers and technicians contributed extra time to the project, forming friendships that lasted long after the record flight. In Nepal, the power of the mountain environment made an equally lasting impression.
Didier Delsalle
FAI · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developers CowanSim H125 user manual · MSFSCowanSim CowanSim manualsCowanSim SAS Autopilot ManualCowanSim SAS ManualCowanSim User ManualCowanSim X-Plane aircraft and avionics manualsLaminar ResearchAircraft background
Eurocopter AS350 ÉcureuilWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1373884153 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftProduct
H125 (AS350B3e) for MSFSCowanSim · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 H125 (AS350B3e) for X-PlaneCowanSim · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Developer documentation
MSFS 2024 Sim Update 3 release notesMicrosoft Flight Simulator · Publisher announcement or release notesBuilt-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 7 profile choices
CowanSim H125 / AS350B3e
CowanSim · Free and Pro · Revision 6 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
CowanSim H125 / AS350B3e: Nominal cyclic centering represents the boosted control arrangement without adding an unmodeled servo-transparency force.
CowanSim H125 / AS350B3e
CowanSim · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
CowanSim H125 / AS350B3e: Nominal cyclic centering represents the boosted control arrangement without adding an unmodeled servo-transparency force.
Airbus H125
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020 · X-Plane 12 · X-Plane 11
Airbus H125: Nominal cyclic centering represents the boosted control arrangement without adding an unmodeled servo-transparency force.
Airbus H125
Free and Pro · Revision 5 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020 · X-Plane 12 · X-Plane 11
Hydraulically assisted cyclic controls and mechanical mixing, with three-blade Starflex rotor cues.
AlpineStudio AS350 B1
AlpineStudio · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
A single-engine utility helicopter known as the Écureuil, Squirrel and AStar.
AlpineStudio AS350 B2 / B2+ VEMD
AlpineStudio · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
A single-engine utility helicopter known as the Écureuil, Squirrel and AStar.
AlpineStudio AS350 BA
AlpineStudio · Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
A single-engine utility helicopter known as the Écureuil, Squirrel and AStar.
Documented interfaces
Source-documented identifiers. Documentation does not prove that every add-on populates a value correctly.
SAS/force_trim_release
Hold/release FTR; SAS engagement gesture described separately.
- Units
- none
- Access
- execute command
shared Cowan XP SAS manual; installed package must supply command
CowanSim · PDF p4; shared SAS command list ↗SAS/autopilot_disconnect
Disconnect upper modes; SAS behavior follows the manual.
- Units
- none
- Access
- execute command
shared Cowan XP SAS manual; installed package must supply command
CowanSim · PDF p4; shared SAS command list ↗Discuss this aircraft (0)
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