Agusta 109 with entirely new avionics suite?

[BlenderPilot]

I would like to know if anbody has heard of Agusta coming out with a new version of the Agusta 109 that is supposed to have full digital instrumentation, such as in the AW139 in which all the avionics is combined into large displays and there are no more mechanical flight instruments, (except backup)?

The Agusta salesman around here has been verbally letting potential customers around here that this new version is coming out, but has been unable to provide specific information at all.

Is this really happening?

Who's the maker of the avionics package?

When is it supposed to be ready?

If anybody has info in this regard it would be greatly appreciated, Thanks in advance.

[Freewheel]

Blender,

Had heard a whisper to the effect that it is to be much the same with a slightly scaled down version of the screens on the 139 to fit.

Mind you, the 109 is out of my league for the time being, so I wasn't paying too much attention....

[helopat]

This sounds like the 109 LUH...I've seen the cockpit and sounds like thats it. I hadn't heard that this was going to be released into the general 109 community as the LUH is a military application.

HP

[spinwing]

Mmmmm ....

Well if it true ....I hope they put a f*ckin BIG battery in the thing!


:eek:

[Cov HEMS]

About 2 years ago, they were calling it the 109N at Agusta. It was a Grand with a LUH style cockpit.

Should be great!

[heliski22]

Ditto on the big battery, Spin!!!!

22

[FloaterNorthWest]

I have also heard that they are looking at upgrading the Autopilot to 3 cue.

[widgeon]

Is there a four cue Autopilot ?.

[leopold bloom]

http://www.agustawestland.com/dindoc/AW109_LUH.PDF:ok:

[FloaterNorthWest]

Widgeon,

I have always thought 4 cue included auto hover as in SAR equipped aircraft.

One of the experts on here will correct me if I am wrong.

FNW

[CarryOnCopter]

The A109E autopilot at the moment is three axis in stabilization, SAS 1, but not three axis for flight director commands so you have to use your feet a bit when fully coupled so that would be the bit most likely to be added to the slippery beast making it true three axis, not sure how they would get around number one hydrulics failing with your feet on the floor, better leave them near I suppose.

The forth axis would be getting the collective lever to join the party, even with three axis to go up or down the a/c needs to pitch when fully coupled or you couple the airspeed and lower/raise the lever manually.

The 139 has auto hover on civvy machines but not sure if it will fly a coupled approach to the hover, don't think the 155 will auto hover and both these machines are four axis so they told me on brief flights.

Don't use this for flight planning :8

[topendtorque]

Hey Blender
You obviously were not listeneing to those good looking Augusta Tech Reps when they were down your ways a while back??
don't blame you.

[drakkar]

I'm not talking about 139 or 155 specially, but to auto hover you need a SAR package : 4 axes A.P, taking references from an inertial system or a doppler system and a GPS or from the three like the EC 725.
Drakkar

[widgeon]

I thought the four cue Autopilot was the one that stopped working when you needed it most :)i.e fourcue I'm going home.

[heliski22]

Enhanced 4-axis FD in the 139 has an Autohover function - push the button and it'll sit just where you put it. You move it around the place with the cyclic trim for left/right or forwards/backwards and the collective trim to yaw left/right or go up/down. The book says you must be above 30ft agl but it will descend to 15ft in HOV Mode. I can't remember the figures off the top of my head (I rarely use it) but I think it will function up to 60kts GS. Given that the FD drops out at 60KIAS, you could make a sharpish transition from one to the other by some swift button pushing but there is no formal transition from a coupled approach to a coupled hover. The SAR kit adds more software and a couple extra buttons on the FD panel. What the plans are for the 109, I've no idea but CarryOCopter's remarks about SAS1 and th pedlas are worth noting.

[Non-PC Plod]

There is the A109 Nexus and the A109 LUH. Nexus was developed for the Carabinieri, and the LUH for the military market Sweden, S Africa and Malaysia at the last count. They are broadly similar in concept, but have different avionics, engines and MR blades.

I can only speak for the LUH, having finished my differences course on it yesterday. It has lots of power, Turbomeca 2K2 engines, 3175 kg MAUM, full 4 axis autopilot, 3 LCD displays. Flies nicely, good FMS, but quite a complex radio and audio system to cater for tactical as well as civil radios.

It is considered just another variant of the A109, so is on the civilian register, but I imagine it wil be a pit pricey compared to a Power.

[800]

The levels are usually;


3 axis, then
4 axis, then
4 axis with autohover (ie SAR package)


The 4 axis basic, is just that a 4th axis for the collective following and with possible accellerometers to help in the below 60kts application. The 412EP has this and you can do a suido hover and taxi on them using all the buttons and the RADALT hold but it is not an autohover system.

THE SAR package will have all of the above and the required Doppler and/or GPS etc inputs for the Autohover mode. You will also find the Winch Operator pendant having minor authority in the "autohover" during winching operations with their pendant witches hat.

Hope this helps.

800 :)

[ShyTorque]

Sikorsky SAR package (S-76) also has the Approach 1, Approach 2, Mark on target and Go-around/climb (from hover) facilities. The first three worked well but I learned never to trust the fourth.

[BlenderPilot]

Thanks to all for all the responses!!

I'm guessing that if nobody here knows about it, then it was just marketing hype from the Agusta salespeople then. As I said not even they were able to come up with any specs, info, dates, nothing. Too bad.

Thanks again and good luck!!

[Fafe]

The new 109 will be with Chelton avionics and has been tested with a four axis AP.
Hope this helps.