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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The EC135, later renamed H135, developed from the MBB Bo 108 programme. Its enclosed tail rotor, twin turbines and practical cabin made it a useful platform for emergency services and other operators. The type first flew in 1994 and entered service in 1996. The H135 name covers later development of the same lineage. Mission interiors, avionics and flight-control equipment differ between operators and versions.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A simulator developer discovers what hovering feels like
Meyer’s visit began with measurements on the ground for an X-Plane project. Flying the real EC135 was the next step, and he was conscious that his own experience was in aeroplanes. The glass surrounding the cockpit made the view both spectacular and slightly unsettling as the chief pilot introduced him to the aircraft. Once given the controls, he found forward flight manageable but hovering much more demanding.
Personal account · July 2002. Fixed-wing pilot receiving supervised EC135 experience while collecting simulator-development data; customer and chief pilot deliberately unnamed.
X-Plane / Austin Meyer · Read more ↗A later addition offered to MSFS 2024 owners
Microsoft’s Local Legend 21 announcement describes its EC135 as the final aircraft in the launch-related make-good programme, offered free to MSFS 2024 owners with ten liveries. It is separate from HPG’s earlier community H135.
Eurocopter EC135 · MSFS 2024
Microsoft · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Airbus Helicopters
H135 Helionix from a pilot's perspective
An Airbus pilot describes the Helionix cockpit. Use as family background for earlier EC135 variants.
Real H135 with Helionix; later equipment than an EC135 T1
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Eurocopter EC135
The EC135, later renamed H135, developed from the MBB Bo 108 programme. Its enclosed tail rotor, twin turbines and practical cabin made it a useful platform for emergency services and other operators. The type first flew in 1994 and entered service in 1996.
The H135 name covers later development of the same lineage. Mission interiors, avionics and flight-control equipment differ between operators and versions. The photograph depicts a medical installation; simulator documentation identifies the included mission equipment.
Eurocopter EC135
Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
The H135 changes its cockpit while retaining its identity
Duke’s 2017 report places Helionix after the earlier P3/T3 performance improvements. His evaluation deliberately concentrates on displays and automation, distinguishing a cockpit transition from a new engine or increased carrying capacity.
Vertical · Glass of its Own: H135 ↗Contemporary report of the Helionix introduction
Development milestones
First flight: 15 February 1994
Wikipedia contributors · Eurocopter EC135 ↗Eurocopter EC135 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1373321906
Pilot accounts
A simulator developer discovers what hovering feels like
Meyer’s visit began with measurements on the ground for an X-Plane project. Flying the real EC135 was the next step, and he was conscious that his own experience was in aeroplanes. The glass surrounding the cockpit made the view both spectacular and slightly unsettling as the chief pilot introduced him to the aircraft.
Once given the controls, he found forward flight manageable but hovering much more demanding. The instructor intervened when the aircraft’s motion exceeded Meyer’s ability to contain it, then gave him further opportunities to try. He came away with aching hands, excitement and observations he wanted to bring back to the simulator. His exuberant account is a personal learning experience; its explanations and claims about simulator transfer are not independent validation of a flight model.
Personal account · July 2002. Fixed-wing pilot receiving supervised EC135 experience while collecting simulator-development data; customer and chief pilot deliberately unnamed.
Read the full account · X-Plane / Austin Meyer ↗Learning to trust a quieter instrument scan
Duke wanted to understand what the new displays and automation added to an established helicopter. During the brief start, Neuhaus explained a cockpit that brought abnormal trends to the pilot’s attention instead of requiring constant checks of scattered gauges. Duke had to adjust to the absence of familiar indications before appreciating the spare attention it created.
The flight included a confined-area approach and experiments with different levels of autopilot assistance. The display was easy to interpret, but Duke remained cautious about judging tail clearance through a camera image. An automated approach completed the return to Donauwörth. His evaluation focuses on how the pilot interacts with the equipment, preserving both the features he enjoyed and the particular task for which he preferred a more cautious judgment.
Vertical · July 2017. One-hour Helionix-equipped H135 evaluation at Donauwörth with Alexander Neuhaus; later cockpit configuration than early EC135 models.
Read the full account · Vertical ↗Trying the updated helicopter at its intended test weight
Gray arrived curious about how far the EC135 family had developed since the magazine’s earlier evaluation. The team planned the fuel load so that his first hover would take place at the intended maximum weight despite time spent briefing on the ground. Even accepting the aircraft involved a detail he appreciated: an electronic system linking the pilot’s acceptance to the technician’s sign-off.
In flight, Gray tried the handling and followed Neuhaus through more energetic manoeuvres. He found the power indications easy to interpret and the cockpit comfortable to work in. The return demonstrated an automated approach and hover before Gray took control for the landing. His overall impression was of considerable complexity made accessible to the pilot. The report did not include an autorotation or a passenger-cabin evaluation.
Flight International · November–December 2016. Helionix prototype evaluation with Alexander Neuhaus and flight-test engineer Jurgen Steiner; no passenger seats fitted.
Read the full account · Flight International ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →MSFS 2024Eurocopter EC135
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Eurocopter EC135
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
MSFS 2020Eurocopter EC135
Hype Performance Group · Released
Eurocopter EC135
Hype Performance Group · Released
MSFS 2020H135
HPG · Released
H135
HPG · Released
X-Plane 12EC135
Rotorsim · Released
EC135
Rotorsim · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Empty weight | 1,455 kg (3,208 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,910 kg (6,415 lb) |
| Powerplant | 2 × Turbomeca Arrius 2B2 turboshaft engines, 472 kW (633 hp) each or 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B turboshaft engines rated at 463 kW (621 hp) (take-off power) |
| Main rotor diameter | 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in) |
| Main rotor area | 81.7 m² (879 sq ft) |
| Cruise speed | 254 km/h (158 mph, 137 kn) |
| Range | 635 km (395 mi, 343 nmi) |
| Service ceiling | 6,096 m (20,000 ft) |
| Rate of climb | 7.62 m/s (1,500 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
A later addition offered to MSFS 2024 ownersEurocopter EC135 · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft’s Local Legend 21 announcement describes its EC135 as the final aircraft in the launch-related make-good programme, offered free to MSFS 2024 owners with ten liveries. It is separate from HPG’s earlier community H135.
Official Local Legend 21 release announcement
Microsoft · Read the source ↗HPG’s earlier H135 has its own avionics and assistance choicesEurocopter EC135 · Hype Performance Group · MSFS 2020
The v1.4 notes describe automatic PMS GTN750 display on the lower screens when installed, with different flight-model behaviour in Advanced and Basic/Xbox modes. An EFB could show browser or screen-capture content, but required additional setup files distributed through the developer’s Discord at that time.
HPG H135 v1.4 · 26 July 2021; historical release scope
Hype Performance Group · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A simulator developer discovers what hovering feels likePersonal account · July 2002. Fixed-wing pilot receiving supervised EC135 experience while collecting simulator-development data; customer and chief pilot deliberately unnamed.
Meyer’s visit began with measurements on the ground for an X-Plane project. Flying the real EC135 was the next step, and he was conscious that his own experience was in aeroplanes. The glass surrounding the cockpit made the view both spectacular and slightly unsettling as the chief pilot introduced him to the aircraft. Once given the controls, he found forward flight manageable but hovering much more demanding.
Austin Meyer
X-Plane / Austin Meyer · Read the source ↗Learning to trust a quieter instrument scanVertical · July 2017. One-hour Helionix-equipped H135 evaluation at Donauwörth with Alexander Neuhaus; later cockpit configuration than early EC135 models.
Duke wanted to understand what the new displays and automation added to an established helicopter. During the brief start, Neuhaus explained a cockpit that brought abnormal trends to the pilot’s attention instead of requiring constant checks of scattered gauges. Duke had to adjust to the absence of familiar indications before appreciating the spare attention it created. The flight included a confined-area approach and experiments with different levels of autopilot assistance.
Jon Duke
Vertical · Read the source ↗Developer documentation
H135 — product listingH135 · MSFS 2020
Product listing captured 2026-09-30; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
www.hypeperformancegroup.com · Read the source ↗EC135 — product listingEC135 · X-Plane 12
Product listing captured 2026-09-23; edition scope from the reviewed catalogue
www.rotorsim.de · 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 developersAircraft background
Eurocopter EC135Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1373321906 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
EC135 free for MSFS 2024 ownersMicrosoftProduct
H135 freewareHype Performance Group · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 rotorsim – Das Portal für die Hubschraubersimulationwww.rotorsim.de · Product listing captured 2026-09-23; edition scope from the reviewed catalogueType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Developer documentation
Airbus H135 v1.4 release notesHype Performance Group · Steve Daniels · 26 July 2021Built-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 · 3 profile choices
HPG H135
HPG · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020
HPG H135: The cyclic response works around an aircraft-owned neutral where the integration provides it.
Rotorsim EC135
Rotorsim · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
Rotorsim EC135: The cyclic response works around an aircraft-owned neutral where the integration provides it.
Eurocopter EC135
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Eurocopter EC135: The cyclic response works around an aircraft-owned neutral where the integration provides it.
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