Aerospatiale SA.316B Alouette III
After the success of the SE.313 Alouette II general purpose helicopter, Aerospatiale began to develop a more advanced version with an uprated Turbomeca engine. This eventually became an entirely new helicopter, the SE.3160 Alouette III, which first flew in February 1959.
The Alouette III was larger than its predecessor, with an entirely enclosed structure and much larger fuselage. It did not use landing skids but rather wheels, and was more streamlined than the Alouette II. It retained the Alouette II's simple handling characteristics. Redesignated SA.316, the SA.316B became the main production variant, with a more powerful Turbomeca Artouste engine; this entered production in 1968. The Alouette III was easily modified to a variety of roles, from medical evacuation to general cargo transport to gunship, and its robust construction generated much interest.
The Alouette III became even more popular than its predecessor, and sales were nearly as good as its two main rivals, the Bell UH-1 series and the Mil Mi-8/17. At least 60 air forces used Alouette IIIs, and about a third of those still fly SA.316Bs or later variants today. Though Alouette III numbers are dwindling, quite a few will remain in service for some time to come.
C-FCAZ was ordered by the Canadian Coast Guard in 1966 as a search and rescue helicopter. Based at Victoria, British Columbia, it flew with the CCG for 20 years before it was retired in 1986 and donated to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology as a ground instruction trainer. Sometime after 1998, it was donated to the AeroSpace Museum (now Hangar Flight Museum) of Calgary, where it was placed on display. Though it retains its Coast Guard scheme and registration, it has been stripped of other markings.
Aerospatiale SA.316B Alouette III
After the success of the SE.313 Alouette II general purpose helicopter, Aerospatiale began to develop a more advanced version with an uprated Turbomeca engine. This eventually became an entirely new helicopter, the SE.3160 Alouette III, which first flew in February 1959.
The Alouette III was larger than its predecessor, with an entirely enclosed structure and much larger fuselage. It did not use landing skids but rather wheels, and was more streamlined than the Alouette II. It retained the Alouette II's simple handling characteristics. Redesignated SA.316, the SA.316B became the main production variant, with a more powerful Turbomeca Artouste engine; this entered production in 1968. The Alouette III was easily modified to a variety of roles, from medical evacuation to general cargo transport to gunship, and its robust construction generated much interest.
The Alouette III became even more popular than its predecessor, and sales were nearly as good as its two main rivals, the Bell UH-1 series and the Mil Mi-8/17. At least 60 air forces used Alouette IIIs, and about a third of those still fly SA.316Bs or later variants today. Though Alouette III numbers are dwindling, quite a few will remain in service for some time to come.
C-FCAZ was ordered by the Canadian Coast Guard in 1966 as a search and rescue helicopter. Based at Victoria, British Columbia, it flew with the CCG for 20 years before it was retired in 1986 and donated to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology as a ground instruction trainer. Sometime after 1998, it was donated to the AeroSpace Museum (now Hangar Flight Museum) of Calgary, where it was placed on display. Though it retains its Coast Guard scheme and registration, it has been stripped of other markings.