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NEWS | AW609 in US AgustaWestland Philadelphia

Fourth and Last Prototype of AW609 Takes Flight

The fourth and final prototype of the AW609 tiltrotor performed its first flight at Leonardo’s Philadelphia plant. First two production aircraft currently being assembled for ERA





Fourth and Last Prototype of AW609 Takes Flight
Leonardo, December 28, 2019 - Philadelphia, PA - The fourth AW609 tiltrotor, fully representative of the final production configuration, successfully performed its first flight at Leonardo’s Philadelphia plant on 23 December, entering the final program development and ground / flight testing stages.

Lifting off on a clear afternoon, test pilot Dan Wells said, “The aircraft performed beautifully, thanks to all the rig and ground testing and the work done by our amazing engineering and production teams. The new touch-screen cockpit layout really proved its value and the aircraft exceeded all of our expectations.”

With this flight the world’s first multirole commercial tiltrotor achieved a major milestone on its path to FAA certification. The AW609 will be certified under the FAA’s new Powered Lift category, the first new category of aircraft certified by the FAA in decades.

Combining the vertical take-off and landing performance of a helicopter with the speed, range, and comfort of a turboprop airplane, the AW609 is poised to transform private and downtown to downtown transport, emergency medical service (EMS), search and rescue (SAR), offshore operations and patrol, among other uses.

The AW609 carries up to nine passengers in a comfortable pressurized cabin, has a max cruise speed of 275 knots and can travel up to 700 nautical miles—about twice as fast and twice as far as the typical helicopter. It climbs to 25,000 feet, flying safely above inclement weather and in known icing conditions. The AW609 features fly-by-wire flight controls, Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion avionics and two Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67A engines.

The first two production AW609s are currently being assembled in Philadelphia. Era, one of the largest helicopter operators in the world and the longest serving helicopter transport provider in the United States, will be the first customer to receive the revolutionary aircraft.

The AW609 has great interest from around the world, across all missions including EMS, SAR, VIP/Corporate transport and offshore resource development. Customers will be provided with comprehensive support and training packages primarily headquartered at the Company’s new Training Academy in Philadelphia. An advanced Flight Training Device and the world’s first AW609 Full Flight Simulator will be available for training in 2020.

About Leonardo: Leonardo, among the top ten world players in Aerospace, Defence and Security, is Italy’s main high-technology industrial company. Organized into five business divisions (Helicopters; Aircraft; Aerostructures; Electronics; Cyber Security) Leonardo has a significant manufacturing presence in Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the USA, where it also operates through subsidiaries such as Leonardo DRS (electronics), and joint ventures and partnerships: Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space and Avio (space); ATR (regional aircraft); and Elettronica and MBDA (electronics and defence systems).

Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2018 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of €12.2 billion and invested €1.4 billion in Research and Development. The Group has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) since 2010 and became Industry leader of the Aerospace & Defence sector in 2019.

Fourth and Last Prototype of AW609 Takes Flight





helicopter
Aircraft mentioned in this article :
AW609 N609PH     ( AgustaWestland Philadelphia )

  Comments


Thought Process Aviation Services Inc. is ready to support the launch of the Leonardo Helicopters AW609. The following video has been developed with limited design and technical information. Also, the flying characteristics are not aligned with the normal RFM procedures of the AW609 and no airspace was violated during the production of this animation! This video is for demo purposes ONLY! https://youtu.be/QjQEQiWDq3k
Well done AW team!
Should perfectly fit Polynesian Government for his MEDEVAC/SAR requirement.


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AW609 in US AgustaWestland Philadelphia




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