Rotorcraft · ICAO AS32

Aerospatiale AS332 Super Puma

The Aerospatiale/Airbus AS332 Super Puma is a large twin-engine helicopter that has become one of the most widely used aircraft for offshore oil-rig transport since the 1980s. Its four-blade main rotor and robust airframe were designed specifically to handle the harsh weather and long overwater flights common on North Sea and other offshore routes. Some variants use a wheeled undercarriage instead of skids, letting them taxi like a fixed-wing aircraft between helipads on the same platform. It remains a familiar sight at offshore heliports worldwide, alongside its further-developed successor, the H225 Super Puma.

Aerospatiale AS332 Super Puma, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: aeroprints.com · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

The Super Puma's four-blade rotor and robust airframe were built for harsh weather and long overwater flights to offshore oil rigs.

Specifications

Length16.3 m (53 ft)
Height4.9 m (16 ft)
Rotor diameter15.6 m (51 ft)
Maximum passengers24
Persons on board20
Maximum take-off weight7.6 t
Range460 NM (852 km)
Maximum speed160 kt (296 km/h)
Service ceiling15,750 ft (4,801 m)
Optimum ceiling10,000 ft (3,048 m)
Rate of climb1,457 ft/min (7.4 m/s)
Fuel capacity1,540 l
Engines2x Turbomeca Makila
Units built1,000

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Aerospatiale AS332 Super Puma starts as a Uncommon catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Aerospatiale, the AS332 Super Puma family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

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