Originally Posted by rotorboy
I was talking with a friend in the GOM and he said the problem isnt the baggae hold but the MGW!.With a full bag of gas the allowable was something silly (low). He said there has just been an increase and hopefully soon to be another. He mentioned that from one operator to another the EGW vsry due to customer requiremnts on floats and rafts that have been built into the A/C
The MGW has recently been increased to 6400 KG's and Agusta is hoping for certification at 7000 KG's. There doesn't appear to be a date established when the 7K is going to be approved. Apparently there are no airframe mods required for the increase in GW.The floats and rafts are standard issue from the factory and I'm not too sure what your friend means by his comment. Seating in the cabin however is another matter. The options are three rows of five, or three rows of four (other than VIP). I know the CHC Europe 139 has 3 rows of 4 due to room required for the passengers and their immersion suits.
The sooner Agusta ups the 139's GW better off we'll all be, including our customers.