The Airbus H135, formerly the Eurocopter EC135, is a light twin-engine helicopter widely used for air ambulance, police and training missions. If a medical helicopter is landing at a nearby hospital, there is a good chance it is an H135.
H135 at a glance
- First flight
- 1994
- Length
- ~40 ft (12.2 m) rotors turning
- Wingspan
- 33 ft 6 in (10.2 m) rotor diameter
- Engines
- 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B or Safran Arrius 2B turboshafts
- Seats
- 1–2 pilots + up to 6 passengers
- Cruise speed
- ~135 kt (155 mph)
- Service ceiling
- ~20,000 ft
- Range
- ~340 nmi
How to recognize the H135
The H135 is a compact, rounded helicopter with a distinctive tail and skid landing gear.
- Fenestron: instead of an open tail rotor, it has a shrouded fan built into the tail fin, with many small blades inside a circular duct. This is the clearest identifier.
- Rotor: a four-bladed main rotor with a low, compact hub.
- Engines: two small turboshafts on top of the cabin behind the rotor.
- Landing gear: skids.
- Doors: sliding side doors and rear clamshell doors that open for stretchers.
- Tail: a horizontal stabilizer with small endplate fins on each end.
- Sound: lighter and higher-pitched than a Black Hawk, with a smooth whine from the Fenestron.
The H125 has a single engine and a conventional open tail rotor. The larger H145 (EC45) looks similar but is bigger, with a taller cabin.
The cabin is compact, with large side windows and a tall, rounded nose, and the engines sit under a fairing behind the rotor mast. Air medical H135s usually carry a searchlight and often a large hospital or program name on the side, while police versions may carry a camera ball under the nose.
Where and when you'll see it
Air medical operators such as Air Methods, PHI and many hospital-affiliated programs fly H135s, often at night between hospitals and accident scenes. Police departments use them for patrol and search, and some utility companies use them for powerline inspection.
Most flights are 500 to 2,000 ft above ground. On ADS-B the type code is EC35, and the emitter category is rotorcraft. Medical helicopters may broadcast their registration or a program-specific callsign. See why helicopters circle and rotorcraft.
Air medical helicopters are based at hospitals and dedicated helicopter bases across the country, often in rural areas far from a trauma center, and they fly around the clock. Many fly a straight line between the scene and the hospital at 1,000 to 1,500 ft, so a fast, low helicopter heading directly toward a medical center is very likely an air ambulance. Police H135s are busiest in the evening and at night.
Easily confused with
- Airbus H125 / AS350 Ecureuil: The H125 has a single engine and a conventional tail rotor.
- Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk: The Black Hawk is much larger, with wheels and a four-blade rotor on a broad fuselage.
Quick facts
- The H135's Fenestron shrouded tail fan is quieter and safer for ground crews than an open tail rotor.
- The rear clamshell doors make it easy to load a stretcher, one reason it is popular for air medical work.
- It was originally sold as the Eurocopter EC135 and was renamed H135 when Eurocopter became Airbus Helicopters in 2014.
H135 questions
Is the H135 the same as the EC135?
Yes. Eurocopter renamed its products when it became Airbus Helicopters, and the EC135 became the H135. The type code EC35 covers both.
Why do medical helicopters fly so low?
They usually fly short trips under visual rules between hospitals and accident scenes, so they stay a few hundred to a couple of thousand feet above ground.
Cities where it's a regular
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for EC35 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.