PH-HVH SNIAS AS.355-F1 Twin Star c/n 5215 Antilles Coast Guard, at heliport Emmen in Holland on 5 April 2005

The AS.355 is a twin-engined light utility helicopter that can accommodate up to 7 passengers. Development of the Ecureuil started in the early 70s under the Aérospatiale banner with the single-engined AS 350. The first flight of an Aerospatiale AS-350 took place on 27/06/1994. A twin-engine version of the AS350, the AS-355 Ecureuil 2 flew first on 28 September 1979. The Eucureuil 2 entered production as the AS-355E. The AS-355F with a higher max takeoff weight replaced the AS-355E early 1982 in production. The AS-355F was followed by the AS-355F-1 in January 1984 and AS-355F-2 in December 1985. The AS-355 Ecureuil 2 is marketed in North America as the "TwinStar". The helicopter divisions of MBB from Germany and Aerospatiale from France merged in January 1992 to form the Eurocopter Group.

The SNIAS AS.355-F1 Twin Star s/n 5215 was built in 1982 and test flown with the temporary registration F-W??. The helicopter was exported to South Africa and was operated as ZS-HMF by a civilian operator and by the Bophuthatswana Air Force. On 10 August 1992, the registration PH-HVH was reserved in the Netherlands and on 9 September 1992, the helicopter was registered as an AS-355F with Heli-Holland Holding B.V., Emmer-Compascuum, and is operated by Heli-Holland since. On 8 October 1992, the registered type for the PH-HVH was changed into a SNIAS AS 355 F1. The PH-HVH was based at Lelystad and mainly used as an ambulance helicopter until it replaced in 2005 the PH-HHC on its Coast Guard operations for the Dutch Navy out of Hato AB near Willemstad, Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles. The SNIAS AS.355-F1 PH-HVH was photographed in its new Antilles Coast Guard colours at the Heli-Holland heliport in Emmer-Erfscheidenveen near the orbital road of Emmen in the Netherlands.