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Today we celebrate the first flight of the Aerospatiale Gazelle. The Aerospatiale Gazelle is a French five-seat helicopter, commonly used for light transport, scouting and light attack duties. The first prototype SA 340 flew for the first time on 7 April 1967 and initially flew with a conventional tail rotor taken from the Alouette II. The tail was replaced in early 1968 with the distinctive fenestron tail on the second prototype (it was the first helicopter to feature a fenestron tail instead of a conventional tail rotor). It was designed by Sud Aviation, later Aerospatiale, and manufactured in France and the United Kingdom through a joint production agreement with Westland Aircraft. Since being introduced to service in 1973, the Gazelle has been procured and operated by a number of export customers. It has also participated in numerous conflicts around the world, including by Syria during the 1982 Lebanon War, by Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War in the 1990s, and by numerous participants on both sides of the1991 Gulf War. In French service, the Gazelle has been supplemented as an attack helicopter by the larger Eurocopter Tiger, but remains in use primarily as a scout helicopter. Gazelle 50th Anniversary Commemorative Fly-In. AAC Middle Wallop: Aerospatiale Gazelle Startup and Takeoff from Stapleford Aerodrome(EGSG): Do you fancy flying the Gazelle? Well, you're in luck, as the file library contains a wonderful X-Plane model by John Bray: X-Plane 11.30+ Aerospatiale Gazelle 1.6:gazl-1132_1_6.zip X-Plane 10.50+ Aerospatiale Gazelle 1.6:gazl_xp10_1_6.zip

/images/notams/notams20/jrx0621.jpgThis product incorporates two versions in one and both are separatestand-alone models, tested over six months with the aid of IRL pilotsas part of the JRX Test Team. The SA341BIs based on the military variant and uses “old school†avionics inuse from the late 1970s onwards, including VHF and UHF military radioswith “chatter†added for immersion. It has a functional PBDI (position bearing distance indicator)similar to the NADIR on the French variant, which can be programmedwith X-Plane FMS flight plans. This version has 17 military / servicestyle liveries included as standard. The SA342JIs a civilian variant with a more “modern†avionics suite, anup-rated engine and a different body kit, along with custom madeavionics based on the Garmin and Avidyne real world family. There isa fully functional autopilot module and a “pop out tablet†showingeither the GNS530, AviTab or a Services page showing critical flightdata. This version comes with 19 liveries of various aircraft fromaround the world. Source