What's New With The Civil Tiltrotor?
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I wonder if those options had an expiry date attached?. If not then that 100k option would be worth depending on the final price in the vicinity of 15 to 20 Mil.Not a bad investment.
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AgustaWestland AW609 Moves Forward, May Be Built in Texas
Aviation International News » January 2013
by Mark Huber
January 1, 2013, 5:35 AM
AgustaWestland is giving serious consideration to building production models of the AW609 civil tiltrotor in the U.S., possibly in Texas, a senior executive told AIN last month. Robert LaBelle, managing director of the AgustaWestland TiltRotor Co., said that initially the aircraft will be built partially in Italy and the U.S. but that the ultimate decision on where to conduct final assembly will be “driven by the customer base.” Some 35 percent of that customer base, he noted, is predicted to be in the U.S.
AgustaWestland acquired the portion of the 609 program it did not already own from Bell in 2011, effectively dissolving the joint venture known as the Bell Agusta Aircraft Company. The 609 program is currently headquartered at a new AgustaWestland facility in Arlington, Texas, across the field from its previous home at Bell’s XworX, and the aircraft will be certified initially by the FAA in the U.S. under Parts 25, 29 and a new category called powered lift. “We selected this location because of the good weather that is conducive to flight-testing and the abundance of aerospace talent,” LaBelle said.
Approximately 120 employees are working on the program in Arlington and another 120 at AgustaWestland’s plant in Cascina Costa, Italy. Bell continues to provide temporary engineering support and will manufacture the rotor blades and yokes for the 609. Two prototype aircraft, one based in Arlington and the other at Cascina Costa, have accumulated 750 test hours since 2003 and flown 90 percent of the flight envelope. LaBelle said that more than 10 percent of the total flight-test hours have been flown in the last 11 months.
The Texas-based aircraft has been used for flight envelope expansion, ice accretion, testing flight controls and handling, external noise, performance, height-velocity and autorotation trials. The aircraft in Italy has been used for flight envelope expansion, load factor and vibration analysis, stall and high-frequency vibration tests, avionics development and kits and stress test of the flight guidance system.
Another two test aircraft are under construction in Italy and will join the test program this year and next. The third test aircraft is expected to conduct extensive icing tests in the U.S. Aircraft 4 will be fitted with a full production cockpit, including Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion touchscreen EDS avionics hardware, AW software used to command the aircraft’s fly-by-wire control system, upgraded Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67A engines, and BAE Systems flight control computer. A 609 flight simulator will be installed at Arlington later this year.
Certification Planned for 2016
Most customers who signed with deposits since the program was announced in 1996 remain with it, LaBelle said, even though AW has yet to set a price for the 609 and likely will not do so until 2014. “We are nowhere near predicting the price,” he said. Orders have held steady at around 70 aircraft for more than a decade. “We haven’t acquired any significant new orders because we haven’t ramped up the marketing program yet,” LaBelle said.
AgustaWestland expects certification, initially for two-pilot operation, in 2016.
“This is a road that no one has driven on before,” said Roberto Garavaglia, AgustaWestland senior vice president of marketing, referring to the 609 certification program. Short-takeoff operations will be added to the certification basis to increase the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight to 18,000 pounds from the vertical-takeoff limit of 16,800 pounds. “This is extra weight that could be used to increase available fuel and the range of the aircraft [now estimated at 700 nm after a vertical takeoff],” Garavaglia said. The base aircraft is expected to have a maximum forward speed of 275 knots, a ceiling of 25,000 feet, a hover out of ground effect of 5,000 feet, hover in ground effect of 10,000 feet and a useful load of 2,500 pounds.
AgustaWestland is currently promoting four interior configurations, including a standard two-pilot, nine-passenger layout; a six- to seven-passenger executive cabin; a two-litter medevac interior; a search-and-rescue design that includes hoist, basket, litter and four single seats; and a patrol/surveillance variant.
“It was never intended to be just a private aircraft,” Garavaglia said. “With the market the way it is today compared with the late 1990s, clearly the private market would be less active, not because of less interest in the aircraft, but because the economy has made the private sector less active.”
Garavaglia said AgustaWestland conducted a new market survey last year that estimates the market for the 609 at 700 aircraft over 20 years, including a strong parapublic component and a specialized niche serving the deepwater oil exploration market. Garavaglia said AgustaWestland could sell the 609 to military customers but is prohibited by its acquisition agreement with Bell from arming it. Bell and Boeing currently manufacture the larger V-22 Osprey tiltrotor for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force.
The Italian government remains interested in acquiring an unspecified number of 609s for coastal patrol, Garavaglia said. “Italy is a natural destination for the 609 because of its [coastal] characteristics. We are a frontier country in the Northern Mediterranean, and in the Southern Mediterranean there are all sorts of [security] issues to be dealt with. So several services in the Italian government are looking at the 609,” he said.
Aviation International News » January 2013
by Mark Huber
January 1, 2013, 5:35 AM
AgustaWestland is giving serious consideration to building production models of the AW609 civil tiltrotor in the U.S., possibly in Texas, a senior executive told AIN last month. Robert LaBelle, managing director of the AgustaWestland TiltRotor Co., said that initially the aircraft will be built partially in Italy and the U.S. but that the ultimate decision on where to conduct final assembly will be “driven by the customer base.” Some 35 percent of that customer base, he noted, is predicted to be in the U.S.
AgustaWestland acquired the portion of the 609 program it did not already own from Bell in 2011, effectively dissolving the joint venture known as the Bell Agusta Aircraft Company. The 609 program is currently headquartered at a new AgustaWestland facility in Arlington, Texas, across the field from its previous home at Bell’s XworX, and the aircraft will be certified initially by the FAA in the U.S. under Parts 25, 29 and a new category called powered lift. “We selected this location because of the good weather that is conducive to flight-testing and the abundance of aerospace talent,” LaBelle said.
Approximately 120 employees are working on the program in Arlington and another 120 at AgustaWestland’s plant in Cascina Costa, Italy. Bell continues to provide temporary engineering support and will manufacture the rotor blades and yokes for the 609. Two prototype aircraft, one based in Arlington and the other at Cascina Costa, have accumulated 750 test hours since 2003 and flown 90 percent of the flight envelope. LaBelle said that more than 10 percent of the total flight-test hours have been flown in the last 11 months.
The Texas-based aircraft has been used for flight envelope expansion, ice accretion, testing flight controls and handling, external noise, performance, height-velocity and autorotation trials. The aircraft in Italy has been used for flight envelope expansion, load factor and vibration analysis, stall and high-frequency vibration tests, avionics development and kits and stress test of the flight guidance system.
Another two test aircraft are under construction in Italy and will join the test program this year and next. The third test aircraft is expected to conduct extensive icing tests in the U.S. Aircraft 4 will be fitted with a full production cockpit, including Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion touchscreen EDS avionics hardware, AW software used to command the aircraft’s fly-by-wire control system, upgraded Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67A engines, and BAE Systems flight control computer. A 609 flight simulator will be installed at Arlington later this year.
Certification Planned for 2016
Most customers who signed with deposits since the program was announced in 1996 remain with it, LaBelle said, even though AW has yet to set a price for the 609 and likely will not do so until 2014. “We are nowhere near predicting the price,” he said. Orders have held steady at around 70 aircraft for more than a decade. “We haven’t acquired any significant new orders because we haven’t ramped up the marketing program yet,” LaBelle said.
AgustaWestland expects certification, initially for two-pilot operation, in 2016.
“This is a road that no one has driven on before,” said Roberto Garavaglia, AgustaWestland senior vice president of marketing, referring to the 609 certification program. Short-takeoff operations will be added to the certification basis to increase the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight to 18,000 pounds from the vertical-takeoff limit of 16,800 pounds. “This is extra weight that could be used to increase available fuel and the range of the aircraft [now estimated at 700 nm after a vertical takeoff],” Garavaglia said. The base aircraft is expected to have a maximum forward speed of 275 knots, a ceiling of 25,000 feet, a hover out of ground effect of 5,000 feet, hover in ground effect of 10,000 feet and a useful load of 2,500 pounds.
AgustaWestland is currently promoting four interior configurations, including a standard two-pilot, nine-passenger layout; a six- to seven-passenger executive cabin; a two-litter medevac interior; a search-and-rescue design that includes hoist, basket, litter and four single seats; and a patrol/surveillance variant.
“It was never intended to be just a private aircraft,” Garavaglia said. “With the market the way it is today compared with the late 1990s, clearly the private market would be less active, not because of less interest in the aircraft, but because the economy has made the private sector less active.”
Garavaglia said AgustaWestland conducted a new market survey last year that estimates the market for the 609 at 700 aircraft over 20 years, including a strong parapublic component and a specialized niche serving the deepwater oil exploration market. Garavaglia said AgustaWestland could sell the 609 to military customers but is prohibited by its acquisition agreement with Bell from arming it. Bell and Boeing currently manufacture the larger V-22 Osprey tiltrotor for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force.
The Italian government remains interested in acquiring an unspecified number of 609s for coastal patrol, Garavaglia said. “Italy is a natural destination for the 609 because of its [coastal] characteristics. We are a frontier country in the Northern Mediterranean, and in the Southern Mediterranean there are all sorts of [security] issues to be dealt with. So several services in the Italian government are looking at the 609,” he said.
21st, this is good news. Thanks for the update.
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Since the Bell-Boeing 609 and Bell-Agusta BA609 were always planned to be produced in Amarillo, are we actually saying that the AW609 might now not be built in Texas? 
I/C
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Maybe Agusta is moving its HQ to Fort Worth, and this is the first step.
FAA Publishes Modified Noise Rules For Tiltrotors | Aero-News Network
FAA Publishes Modified Noise Rules For Tiltrotors
Brings U.S. Regulations Into Agreement With ICAO Standards
The FAA has published a rule in the Federal Register governing noise certification standards for issuing type and airworthiness certificates for a new civil, hybrid airplane-rotorcraft known as the tiltrotor. This noise standard establishes new noise limits and procedures as the basis to ensure consistent aviation noise reduction technology is incorporated in tiltrotors for environmental protection. It provides uniform noise certification standards for tiltrotors certificated in the United States and harmonizes the U.S. regulations with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Annex 16.
Tiltrotors are defined as aircraft uses rotating nacelles, a hybrid of propellers and helicopter rotors, to provide both lift and propulsive force. The tiltrotor is designed to function as a helicopter for takeoff and landing and as an airplane during the en-route portion of flight operations. The rule cites the V-22 Osprey (pictured) as the most recognizable example of the type.
In anticipation of civil tiltrotor production, ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) chartered the Tiltrotor Task Group (TRTG) in 1997 to develop noise certification guidelines for tiltrotors. The FAA participated in the TRTG and its development of the tiltrotor noise guidelines from 1997 to 2000. The ICAO tiltrotor guidelines used the same noise limits that the United States had incorporated into part 36, Appendix H for helicopter noise certification. The ICAO has included additional requirements that are unique to the design of tiltrotors. Current regulations in part 36 do not contain noise certification requirements specific to the tiltrotor and its unique flight capabilities. Since no standards for the tiltrotor currently exist, the FAA is adding new standards to part 36, and amending part 21, § 21.93 (Classification of Changes in Type Design) to accommodate certification of the tiltrotor. In order to harmonize the U.S. regulations with the international standards, this rulemaking adopts the same noise certification standards as used in ICAO Annex 16, Volume 1, Chapter 13, Attachment F (Amendment 7) for tiltrotors.
The FAA received only one comment on the NPRM during the period open for public comments, which closed October 19, 2011. That comment, from AgustaWestland, stated that the proposed rule did not specify the entity that would determine the flyover configuration in Appendix K to Part 36. AgustaWestland recommended that the regulation specify that the applicant be the entity that prescribes the constant flyover aircraft configuration.
The FAA said that it agrees the regulation needs to specify what entity prescribes the constant flyover configuration. The FAA also agreed that the applicant is the proper entity, and modified the final rule to incorporate this change.
The present value cost of the final rule is $588,000 for the certification of one tiltrotor type, about the same as would be required for a traditional helicopter design. The FAA considered this cost to be minimal in the NPRM. The FAA received no comments on this minimal cost determination. Therefore, the FAA considers this cost to be minimal in this final regulatory evaluation.
Brings U.S. Regulations Into Agreement With ICAO Standards
The FAA has published a rule in the Federal Register governing noise certification standards for issuing type and airworthiness certificates for a new civil, hybrid airplane-rotorcraft known as the tiltrotor. This noise standard establishes new noise limits and procedures as the basis to ensure consistent aviation noise reduction technology is incorporated in tiltrotors for environmental protection. It provides uniform noise certification standards for tiltrotors certificated in the United States and harmonizes the U.S. regulations with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Annex 16.
Tiltrotors are defined as aircraft uses rotating nacelles, a hybrid of propellers and helicopter rotors, to provide both lift and propulsive force. The tiltrotor is designed to function as a helicopter for takeoff and landing and as an airplane during the en-route portion of flight operations. The rule cites the V-22 Osprey (pictured) as the most recognizable example of the type.
In anticipation of civil tiltrotor production, ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) chartered the Tiltrotor Task Group (TRTG) in 1997 to develop noise certification guidelines for tiltrotors. The FAA participated in the TRTG and its development of the tiltrotor noise guidelines from 1997 to 2000. The ICAO tiltrotor guidelines used the same noise limits that the United States had incorporated into part 36, Appendix H for helicopter noise certification. The ICAO has included additional requirements that are unique to the design of tiltrotors. Current regulations in part 36 do not contain noise certification requirements specific to the tiltrotor and its unique flight capabilities. Since no standards for the tiltrotor currently exist, the FAA is adding new standards to part 36, and amending part 21, § 21.93 (Classification of Changes in Type Design) to accommodate certification of the tiltrotor. In order to harmonize the U.S. regulations with the international standards, this rulemaking adopts the same noise certification standards as used in ICAO Annex 16, Volume 1, Chapter 13, Attachment F (Amendment 7) for tiltrotors.
The FAA received only one comment on the NPRM during the period open for public comments, which closed October 19, 2011. That comment, from AgustaWestland, stated that the proposed rule did not specify the entity that would determine the flyover configuration in Appendix K to Part 36. AgustaWestland recommended that the regulation specify that the applicant be the entity that prescribes the constant flyover aircraft configuration.
The FAA said that it agrees the regulation needs to specify what entity prescribes the constant flyover configuration. The FAA also agreed that the applicant is the proper entity, and modified the final rule to incorporate this change.
The present value cost of the final rule is $588,000 for the certification of one tiltrotor type, about the same as would be required for a traditional helicopter design. The FAA considered this cost to be minimal in the NPRM. The FAA received no comments on this minimal cost determination. Therefore, the FAA considers this cost to be minimal in this final regulatory evaluation.
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AW609 Tiltrotor Certification Slips to 2017
Aviation International News » July 2013
by Mark Huber
July 1, 2013, 1:35 AM
AgustaWestland has confirmed reports that certification of the AW609 civil tiltrotor has been pushed out to 2017, a one-year delay. A company spokesman told AIN that the schedule change is the result of numerous upgrades being made to the design in terms of aerodynamics and systems, including new engines, avionics and fly-by-wire flight controls.
The Italian airframer acquired sole interest in the program from Bell Helicopter in 2011 and announced major program suppliers last year, including Pratt & Whitney Canada for engines, Rockwell Collins for the integrated cockpit featuring Pro Line Fusion avionics, and BAE for the flight control computer.
The AgustaWestland Tiltrotor Company, based in Arlington, Texas, is pursuing FAA certification. Two prototypes are currently flying and two more are under construction at AW facilities in Italy.
The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) revealed the delay when it briefed the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the AW609 June 3 in Montreal. The introduction of civil tiltrotors is expected to generate various changes to the ICAO Annex to accommodate the unique capabilities of such aircraft.
Aviation International News » July 2013
by Mark Huber
July 1, 2013, 1:35 AM
AgustaWestland has confirmed reports that certification of the AW609 civil tiltrotor has been pushed out to 2017, a one-year delay. A company spokesman told AIN that the schedule change is the result of numerous upgrades being made to the design in terms of aerodynamics and systems, including new engines, avionics and fly-by-wire flight controls.
The Italian airframer acquired sole interest in the program from Bell Helicopter in 2011 and announced major program suppliers last year, including Pratt & Whitney Canada for engines, Rockwell Collins for the integrated cockpit featuring Pro Line Fusion avionics, and BAE for the flight control computer.
The AgustaWestland Tiltrotor Company, based in Arlington, Texas, is pursuing FAA certification. Two prototypes are currently flying and two more are under construction at AW facilities in Italy.
The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) revealed the delay when it briefed the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the AW609 June 3 in Montreal. The introduction of civil tiltrotors is expected to generate various changes to the ICAO Annex to accommodate the unique capabilities of such aircraft.
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AW609 TiltRotor improvements to boost performance
2013-09-03 09:13:58 AgustaWestland Press Release
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is flight testing a number of aerodynamic improvements that will boost the performance of the AW609 TiltRotor. On July 25, 2013 AgustaWestland undertook the first flight of a modified vertical tail fin on AW609 TiltRotor prototype #2 at its Cascina Costa flight test facility in Italy. The modified vertical fin is one part of a extensive package of product improvements which also include a new, more aerodynamic, design for the engine exhaust nozzles and changes to the prop-rotor spinner cones. Together, these modifications reduce the drag factor of the AW609 TiltRotor by approximately ten percent, as well as delivering a significant weight reduction, with a resulting performance increase.
Clive Scott, AW609 Program Manager, said “These aerodynamic improvements, new avionics, new cockpit display system and a large number of other improvements will together give the aircraft greater performance and mission capabilities, making it even more attractive for carrying out a wide range of missions which can benefit from its much higher cruise speed, high altitude cruise capability and longer range, when compared to existing helicopters or other proposed high speed rotorcraft.”
An upgraded version of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine is being used on the AW609 TiltRotor and will include the latest in technological developments, providing the aircraft with increased performance capabilities as well as the latest safety enhancements.
Rockwell Collins is supplying a fully integrated cockpit for the AW609 TiltRotor based on its Pro Line Fusion system, allowing AgustaWestland to adopt the very latest in commercial aircraft cockpit technologies, including 14 inch (35.5 cm) touch screen displays, integrated flight management systems with satellite based navigation, synthetic and enhanced vision systems and Head-Up-Display interfaces; all of which will be integrated with the aircraft’s own avionics management systems. This cockpit suite will provide the crew with increased situational awareness and will reduce pilot workload.
BAE Systems is providing an upgraded Flight Control Computer at the heart of the AW609 TiltRotor’s triple redundant fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system. The computer will include not only the AgustaWestland control laws and flight control software but also the digital engine control system.
These modifications are an integral part of the overall AW609 TiltRotor program re-baselining aimed at reducing customer acquisition and operating costs, coupled with delivering performance and technology improvements.
The AgustaWestland US subsidiary, AgustaWestland Tilt-Rotor Company, based in Arlington, Texas, is the Type applicant for the AW609 TiltRotor supported by an Integrated Development Team, based both in Arlington and in Cascina Costa, Italy. The first prototype is continuing with envelope expansion activities in the US whilst the second prototype is flying from Cascina Costa, with nearly 800 flying hours completed on these aircraft . A further two prototypes are under final assembly in Italy.
2013-09-03 09:13:58 AgustaWestland Press Release
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is flight testing a number of aerodynamic improvements that will boost the performance of the AW609 TiltRotor. On July 25, 2013 AgustaWestland undertook the first flight of a modified vertical tail fin on AW609 TiltRotor prototype #2 at its Cascina Costa flight test facility in Italy. The modified vertical fin is one part of a extensive package of product improvements which also include a new, more aerodynamic, design for the engine exhaust nozzles and changes to the prop-rotor spinner cones. Together, these modifications reduce the drag factor of the AW609 TiltRotor by approximately ten percent, as well as delivering a significant weight reduction, with a resulting performance increase.
Clive Scott, AW609 Program Manager, said “These aerodynamic improvements, new avionics, new cockpit display system and a large number of other improvements will together give the aircraft greater performance and mission capabilities, making it even more attractive for carrying out a wide range of missions which can benefit from its much higher cruise speed, high altitude cruise capability and longer range, when compared to existing helicopters or other proposed high speed rotorcraft.”
An upgraded version of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine is being used on the AW609 TiltRotor and will include the latest in technological developments, providing the aircraft with increased performance capabilities as well as the latest safety enhancements.
Rockwell Collins is supplying a fully integrated cockpit for the AW609 TiltRotor based on its Pro Line Fusion system, allowing AgustaWestland to adopt the very latest in commercial aircraft cockpit technologies, including 14 inch (35.5 cm) touch screen displays, integrated flight management systems with satellite based navigation, synthetic and enhanced vision systems and Head-Up-Display interfaces; all of which will be integrated with the aircraft’s own avionics management systems. This cockpit suite will provide the crew with increased situational awareness and will reduce pilot workload.
BAE Systems is providing an upgraded Flight Control Computer at the heart of the AW609 TiltRotor’s triple redundant fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system. The computer will include not only the AgustaWestland control laws and flight control software but also the digital engine control system.
These modifications are an integral part of the overall AW609 TiltRotor program re-baselining aimed at reducing customer acquisition and operating costs, coupled with delivering performance and technology improvements.
The AgustaWestland US subsidiary, AgustaWestland Tilt-Rotor Company, based in Arlington, Texas, is the Type applicant for the AW609 TiltRotor supported by an Integrated Development Team, based both in Arlington and in Cascina Costa, Italy. The first prototype is continuing with envelope expansion activities in the US whilst the second prototype is flying from Cascina Costa, with nearly 800 flying hours completed on these aircraft . A further two prototypes are under final assembly in Italy.
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Flying the AW609: a preview
2014-01-20 11:33:56 by Elan Head
Editor's Note: This story appears as part of a comprehensive feature on AgustaWestland in the Dec'13-Jan'14 issue of Vertical. To read the digital version of the magazine, click here.
It has now been more than 20 years since the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey made its first flight, and five years since the aircraft entered operational service with the United States Marine Corps and Air Force. So, the tilt-rotor is no longer a new concept. However, a civilian pilot contemplating the AgustaWestland AW609 is likely to have a number of questions about the aircraft — one of those being, “What is it like to fly?”
To find out, I paid a visit in late September to AgustaWestland Tilt Rotor Company in Arlington, Texas, where the first prototype in the program is undergoing flight testing for basic envelope expansion (a second prototype is flying in Italy, while the third and fourth prototypes are under construction). No, I didn’t get to fly the actual aircraft, which had yet to be approved for demonstration flights. But I did get to fly the next best thing: the AW609 engineering simulator, which is being used to fine-tune changes to the flight control software and to flight test maneuvers before they’re performed in the real aircraft.
The AW609 engineering simulator lacks motion, along with some of the bells and whistles that will appear in a full-flight training simulator that should be available around the time of aircraft certification. Still, it’s comparable in sophistication to many of the flight training devices now being used for pilot training. According to AW609 program manager Clive Scott, it’s also quite realistic, thanks to the more than 850 hours of actual flight data accumulated by the program so far. “Now, with so many hours flying, the models are very representative,” he said.
My guide for the demo was AW609 test pilot Dan Wells, a retired U.S. Army airplane and helicopter pilot who began flying tilt-rotors in 2006, when he was loaned to the U.S. Air Force for its V-22 development program. He has now been in the 609 program for about two years, having followed it to AgustaWestland from his previous employer, Bell. “I just love the aircraft and I love the program,” Wells said, expressing enthusiasm over the program’s renewed momentum. “We’re starting to get the mentality that we’re going to certify this thing.”
The first thing I noticed upon climbing into the simulator’s cockpit was that, as a helicopter pilot, I felt right at home. That’s because the AW609 has conventional helicopter flight controls: a cyclic-like center stick, yaw pedals and, notably, a left-side collective lever rather than the throttle-like thrust control lever found on the V-22. (For a comprehensive overview of flying the V-22, see p.108, Vertical, Feb-Mar 2012.) Is this the ideal control configuration? I’m not sure, especially given the flexibility embodied in the AW609’s triply redundant, fly-by-wire flight control system. Regardless, the arrangement is sure to be a selling point for helicopter pilots, who will find the transition to the AW609 to be that much simpler.
Similar to the V-22, the AW609 has three distinctive modes of flight, defined by the position of the nacelles. The aircraft is in “VTOL” (vertical take-off and landing) mode when the nacelles are between 85 and 95 degrees (with 90 degrees being the full vertical position, and 95 degrees being the maximum aft position, used for decelerating the aircraft or hovering with a tail wind). “Conversion” mode encompasses nacelle positions from 85 degrees down to zero, with the proprotor blades at 100 percent r.p.m. “Airplane” mode occurs when the nacelles are at zero degrees tilt, and proprotor r.p.m. is at 84 per cent.
I commenced my simulator flight with a lift off to a hover, which was much like any helicopter lift off. At this point, the nacelle position was 87 degrees: typical, Wells said, for no-wind hovers. The hover was quite stable, and the aircraft performed much like a helicopter through a few hovering turns (in VTOL mode, the flight control system controls yaw by tilting the proprotor discs differentially; this changes to differential pitch control as the aircraft enters airplane mode).
From my location over an airport runway, I then performed a normal take-off, which I initiated by holding a nacelle control switch on the collective forward until it stopped automatically at 75 degrees (these pre-set nacelle angles are another way in which the AW609 differs from the V-22, and make the aircraft safer and easier to fly). The aircraft began moving forward and climbing. As I gained altitude, I began the transition to airplane mode: first, a click forward on the control switch to set the nacelles at 50 degrees, another click to set them at zero degrees, and a final click to drop the r.p.m. to 84 per cent. At this point, we were up and away, and the aircraft was flying much like a turboprop airplane, with a maximum cruise speed of 275 knots.
After maneuvering the aircraft in airplane mode for a while, I turned it back to the virtual airport to fly some traffic patterns. As I approached the airport, clicking backward on the nacelle control switch first restored the proprotor r.p.m. to 100 percent, then moved the nacelles to 50 degrees, then moved them back to 75 degrees (although not all at once: each step in the conversion process requires that the aircraft be within a specific airspeed range, which is indicated to the pilot on the instrument panel). As I set up a traffic pattern, I began slowing the aircraft to around 60 knots as I rolled out on final, bringing the nacelles to 80, then 85 and finally 87 degrees. Without yet having a good feel for the deceleration process — how much of it owed to nacelle position, and how much to cyclic position — I didn’t aim for my landing spot too precisely. However, I brought the aircraft to a hover over the runway fairly easily, and without incident.
After a quick set down and pick up, I then performed another normal takeoff, but instead of transitioning to airplane mode, flew a traffic pattern in conversion mode, with the nacelles at 50 degrees. This felt a lot like flying a helicopter in a traffic pattern at a moderate airspeed. Instead of a normal approach to a hover, I brought the aircraft in for a running landing, touching down at around 40 knots and 85 degrees nacelle position. After landing, I moved the nacelles to their full aft position of 95 degrees (then began rolling backward before remembering to restore the nacelles to 87 degrees).
To wrap things up, I performed a rolling takeoff with the nacelles at 75 degrees, and re-entered the traffic pattern. That pattern concluded with perhaps the most interesting maneuver of the day: a steep approach initiated at 60 knots and 300 feet above ground level (AGL). With the nacelles set to 95 degrees, and the cyclic stick held forward, we were tilted nose-down and looking straight down at the runway for most of the approach. The visibility was incredible — far better than in most helicopters, which have a nose-high attitude on approach. I began leveling the aircraft at around 100 feet AGL, again bringing it to a stable hover.
One thing I didn’t get to experience was an autorotation, as AgustaWestland was still in the process of developing autorotation procedures for the aircraft (at press time, the company told me that these autorotation tests were progressing effectively). According to Wells, if the aircraft experiences a complete power failure, an emergency conversion switch will allow the nacelles to quickly be moved to vertical to enter an autorotative descent. Loss of a single engine is less dramatic, as the AW609’s interconnected drive train allows power from the remaining engine to be shared between the proprotors (and a “soft stop” on the collective will adjust automatically to allow the pilot to pull more power). Developing one-engine inoperative (OEI) procedures for the aircraft is another to-do item for the flight testing program, which will be facilitated by an OEI training mode on the aircraft’s new flight control software.
That flight control software is the real magic of the AW609: it calculates and compensates for most of the aerodynamic complexity associated with transitioning from vertical to highspeed forward flight. That may make some pilots nervous, and it certainly means that the software’s developers have their work cut out for them. The result, however, is shaping up to be a very intuitive aircraft with a highly manageable learning curve. “I think the biggest thing I want people to take away from it is how easy it is to fly,” remarked Wells. “Any helicopter pilot can get in the 609 and fly it right away.”
2014-01-20 11:33:56 by Elan Head
Editor's Note: This story appears as part of a comprehensive feature on AgustaWestland in the Dec'13-Jan'14 issue of Vertical. To read the digital version of the magazine, click here.
It has now been more than 20 years since the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey made its first flight, and five years since the aircraft entered operational service with the United States Marine Corps and Air Force. So, the tilt-rotor is no longer a new concept. However, a civilian pilot contemplating the AgustaWestland AW609 is likely to have a number of questions about the aircraft — one of those being, “What is it like to fly?”
To find out, I paid a visit in late September to AgustaWestland Tilt Rotor Company in Arlington, Texas, where the first prototype in the program is undergoing flight testing for basic envelope expansion (a second prototype is flying in Italy, while the third and fourth prototypes are under construction). No, I didn’t get to fly the actual aircraft, which had yet to be approved for demonstration flights. But I did get to fly the next best thing: the AW609 engineering simulator, which is being used to fine-tune changes to the flight control software and to flight test maneuvers before they’re performed in the real aircraft.
The AW609 engineering simulator lacks motion, along with some of the bells and whistles that will appear in a full-flight training simulator that should be available around the time of aircraft certification. Still, it’s comparable in sophistication to many of the flight training devices now being used for pilot training. According to AW609 program manager Clive Scott, it’s also quite realistic, thanks to the more than 850 hours of actual flight data accumulated by the program so far. “Now, with so many hours flying, the models are very representative,” he said.
My guide for the demo was AW609 test pilot Dan Wells, a retired U.S. Army airplane and helicopter pilot who began flying tilt-rotors in 2006, when he was loaned to the U.S. Air Force for its V-22 development program. He has now been in the 609 program for about two years, having followed it to AgustaWestland from his previous employer, Bell. “I just love the aircraft and I love the program,” Wells said, expressing enthusiasm over the program’s renewed momentum. “We’re starting to get the mentality that we’re going to certify this thing.”
The first thing I noticed upon climbing into the simulator’s cockpit was that, as a helicopter pilot, I felt right at home. That’s because the AW609 has conventional helicopter flight controls: a cyclic-like center stick, yaw pedals and, notably, a left-side collective lever rather than the throttle-like thrust control lever found on the V-22. (For a comprehensive overview of flying the V-22, see p.108, Vertical, Feb-Mar 2012.) Is this the ideal control configuration? I’m not sure, especially given the flexibility embodied in the AW609’s triply redundant, fly-by-wire flight control system. Regardless, the arrangement is sure to be a selling point for helicopter pilots, who will find the transition to the AW609 to be that much simpler.
Similar to the V-22, the AW609 has three distinctive modes of flight, defined by the position of the nacelles. The aircraft is in “VTOL” (vertical take-off and landing) mode when the nacelles are between 85 and 95 degrees (with 90 degrees being the full vertical position, and 95 degrees being the maximum aft position, used for decelerating the aircraft or hovering with a tail wind). “Conversion” mode encompasses nacelle positions from 85 degrees down to zero, with the proprotor blades at 100 percent r.p.m. “Airplane” mode occurs when the nacelles are at zero degrees tilt, and proprotor r.p.m. is at 84 per cent.
I commenced my simulator flight with a lift off to a hover, which was much like any helicopter lift off. At this point, the nacelle position was 87 degrees: typical, Wells said, for no-wind hovers. The hover was quite stable, and the aircraft performed much like a helicopter through a few hovering turns (in VTOL mode, the flight control system controls yaw by tilting the proprotor discs differentially; this changes to differential pitch control as the aircraft enters airplane mode).
From my location over an airport runway, I then performed a normal take-off, which I initiated by holding a nacelle control switch on the collective forward until it stopped automatically at 75 degrees (these pre-set nacelle angles are another way in which the AW609 differs from the V-22, and make the aircraft safer and easier to fly). The aircraft began moving forward and climbing. As I gained altitude, I began the transition to airplane mode: first, a click forward on the control switch to set the nacelles at 50 degrees, another click to set them at zero degrees, and a final click to drop the r.p.m. to 84 per cent. At this point, we were up and away, and the aircraft was flying much like a turboprop airplane, with a maximum cruise speed of 275 knots.
After maneuvering the aircraft in airplane mode for a while, I turned it back to the virtual airport to fly some traffic patterns. As I approached the airport, clicking backward on the nacelle control switch first restored the proprotor r.p.m. to 100 percent, then moved the nacelles to 50 degrees, then moved them back to 75 degrees (although not all at once: each step in the conversion process requires that the aircraft be within a specific airspeed range, which is indicated to the pilot on the instrument panel). As I set up a traffic pattern, I began slowing the aircraft to around 60 knots as I rolled out on final, bringing the nacelles to 80, then 85 and finally 87 degrees. Without yet having a good feel for the deceleration process — how much of it owed to nacelle position, and how much to cyclic position — I didn’t aim for my landing spot too precisely. However, I brought the aircraft to a hover over the runway fairly easily, and without incident.
After a quick set down and pick up, I then performed another normal takeoff, but instead of transitioning to airplane mode, flew a traffic pattern in conversion mode, with the nacelles at 50 degrees. This felt a lot like flying a helicopter in a traffic pattern at a moderate airspeed. Instead of a normal approach to a hover, I brought the aircraft in for a running landing, touching down at around 40 knots and 85 degrees nacelle position. After landing, I moved the nacelles to their full aft position of 95 degrees (then began rolling backward before remembering to restore the nacelles to 87 degrees).
To wrap things up, I performed a rolling takeoff with the nacelles at 75 degrees, and re-entered the traffic pattern. That pattern concluded with perhaps the most interesting maneuver of the day: a steep approach initiated at 60 knots and 300 feet above ground level (AGL). With the nacelles set to 95 degrees, and the cyclic stick held forward, we were tilted nose-down and looking straight down at the runway for most of the approach. The visibility was incredible — far better than in most helicopters, which have a nose-high attitude on approach. I began leveling the aircraft at around 100 feet AGL, again bringing it to a stable hover.
One thing I didn’t get to experience was an autorotation, as AgustaWestland was still in the process of developing autorotation procedures for the aircraft (at press time, the company told me that these autorotation tests were progressing effectively). According to Wells, if the aircraft experiences a complete power failure, an emergency conversion switch will allow the nacelles to quickly be moved to vertical to enter an autorotative descent. Loss of a single engine is less dramatic, as the AW609’s interconnected drive train allows power from the remaining engine to be shared between the proprotors (and a “soft stop” on the collective will adjust automatically to allow the pilot to pull more power). Developing one-engine inoperative (OEI) procedures for the aircraft is another to-do item for the flight testing program, which will be facilitated by an OEI training mode on the aircraft’s new flight control software.
That flight control software is the real magic of the AW609: it calculates and compensates for most of the aerodynamic complexity associated with transitioning from vertical to highspeed forward flight. That may make some pilots nervous, and it certainly means that the software’s developers have their work cut out for them. The result, however, is shaping up to be a very intuitive aircraft with a highly manageable learning curve. “I think the biggest thing I want people to take away from it is how easy it is to fly,” remarked Wells. “Any helicopter pilot can get in the 609 and fly it right away.”
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AgustaWestland plans to reopen AW609 orderbook this year
By: Dominic Perry
London
15:18 19 Feb 2014
AgustaWestland will reopen its orderbook for the in-development AW609 civil tiltrotor this year, as it looks to add to the near 60 commitments it already holds for the aircraft.
The Anglo-Italian airframer suspended orders when it acquired Bell Helicopter's 50% share of the programme in 2011, to allow a "thorough review" of the tiltrotor to see where the company "could add value and enhance the product".
However, it now feels the development of the aircraft has matured sufficiently – with a performance baseline established – to allow a resumption of sales activity. "To that end, we anticipate opening up the orderbook for further purchase agreements in 2014, in addition to the almost 60 agreements held today by AgustaWestland," it says.
Further unspecified enhancements to the type's Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C powerplants will be implemented this year, it says.
A third flight-test article is being assembled at AgustaWestland's Vergiate, Italy facility, ahead of a likely maiden sortie in the second half of 2014. The final test aircraft will take to the skies in 2015, following ground rig tests of its new avionics suite.
Certification and entry into service for the 8.1t tiltrotor is anticipated in 2017.
By: Dominic Perry
London
15:18 19 Feb 2014
AgustaWestland will reopen its orderbook for the in-development AW609 civil tiltrotor this year, as it looks to add to the near 60 commitments it already holds for the aircraft.
The Anglo-Italian airframer suspended orders when it acquired Bell Helicopter's 50% share of the programme in 2011, to allow a "thorough review" of the tiltrotor to see where the company "could add value and enhance the product".
However, it now feels the development of the aircraft has matured sufficiently – with a performance baseline established – to allow a resumption of sales activity. "To that end, we anticipate opening up the orderbook for further purchase agreements in 2014, in addition to the almost 60 agreements held today by AgustaWestland," it says.
AgustaWestland
The airframer is currently performing high-altitude testing and will shortly complete auto-rotation trials on the AW609, using its two flying prototypes. A series of aerodynamic enhancements to the vertical fin, exhausts and prop-rotor nacelles unveiled last year have "all proven positive", it says, validating its claims of a 10% cut in drag with added weight-saving benefits.Further unspecified enhancements to the type's Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C powerplants will be implemented this year, it says.
A third flight-test article is being assembled at AgustaWestland's Vergiate, Italy facility, ahead of a likely maiden sortie in the second half of 2014. The final test aircraft will take to the skies in 2015, following ground rig tests of its new avionics suite.
Certification and entry into service for the 8.1t tiltrotor is anticipated in 2017.
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AW609 Demo Flights at HAI 2014
AgustaWestland Family at Heli-Expo for North American Debut | Aviation International News
Wonder who gets one of these pre-arranged Demo flights? Bloomberg (ex-NYC Mayor) has an order, and Lady Gaga as well, that would be one interesting photo op!
Wonder who gets one of these pre-arranged Demo flights? Bloomberg (ex-NYC Mayor) has an order, and Lady Gaga as well, that would be one interesting photo op!
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Here's a fairly recent update on the EU Clean Sky 2 Civil Tilt Rotor effort from AW. Looks like a pretty serious program since it involves developing technologies like a variable speed engine and a multi-speed transmission. The schedule shows first flight in mid-2019.
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AgustaWestland completes autorotation trials for AW609 program
AgustaWestland announced on April 24 that it has successfully completed autorotation trials for the AW609 TiltRotor program.
According to a company press release, the aircraft completed more than 70 power-off conversions from airplane mode to helicopter mode during 10 dedicated flight hours between the end of March and early April. The tests were flown from AgustaWestland’s Arlington, Texas, facility under the auspices of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and covered the full windmilling and autorotation envelopes.
“The handling qualities of the aircraft were very benign throughout the testing and the performance of the aircraft exceeded expected characteristics seen during preparation in the engineering simulator in Arlington,” AgustaWestland reported. “Together, the test pilots and engineers were able to develop the best flight maneuvers that will ultimately allow training of commercial pilots in the planned full flight simulator. This latest goal provides further evidence of the AW609’s quality in terms of design, performance, and safety in the most demanding conditions.”
This accomplishment follows the completion of the AW609 flight envelope expansion trials in December 2013, which validated the aircraft’s 25,000-foot service ceiling with a pressurized cabin and maximum cruise speed of 275 knots, both at the aircraft’s maximum weight. Other trials completed with the AW609 TiltRotor in 2013 included slope landings, run-on landings, aeroelastic stability testing, and high altitude stability testing.
AgustaWestland is aiming for FAA certification for the AW609 TiltRotor in 2017. The company said that the concurrent industrialization phase of the AW609 is also taking shape across the AgustaWestland network and associated supply chain, with new equipment and tooling being acquired “to guarantee existing orders can start to be fulfilled immediately after FAA type certification.”
AgustaWestland announced on April 24 that it has successfully completed autorotation trials for the AW609 TiltRotor program.
According to a company press release, the aircraft completed more than 70 power-off conversions from airplane mode to helicopter mode during 10 dedicated flight hours between the end of March and early April. The tests were flown from AgustaWestland’s Arlington, Texas, facility under the auspices of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and covered the full windmilling and autorotation envelopes.
“The handling qualities of the aircraft were very benign throughout the testing and the performance of the aircraft exceeded expected characteristics seen during preparation in the engineering simulator in Arlington,” AgustaWestland reported. “Together, the test pilots and engineers were able to develop the best flight maneuvers that will ultimately allow training of commercial pilots in the planned full flight simulator. This latest goal provides further evidence of the AW609’s quality in terms of design, performance, and safety in the most demanding conditions.”
This accomplishment follows the completion of the AW609 flight envelope expansion trials in December 2013, which validated the aircraft’s 25,000-foot service ceiling with a pressurized cabin and maximum cruise speed of 275 knots, both at the aircraft’s maximum weight. Other trials completed with the AW609 TiltRotor in 2013 included slope landings, run-on landings, aeroelastic stability testing, and high altitude stability testing.
AgustaWestland is aiming for FAA certification for the AW609 TiltRotor in 2017. The company said that the concurrent industrialization phase of the AW609 is also taking shape across the AgustaWestland network and associated supply chain, with new equipment and tooling being acquired “to guarantee existing orders can start to be fulfilled immediately after FAA type certification.”
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Very interesting posts on here, spent a lot of time reading them, but just one question keeps popping into my mind, if some one can answer without shooting me that is...
Why use props...could the same not be achieved with simple jets, it would remove all that heavy hardware on the ends of the wing tips and would be lighter to swivel rather than moving all that spinning prop system ? or is it redundancy and getting back down under control,..
Peter R-B
Lancashire
Why use props...could the same not be achieved with simple jets, it would remove all that heavy hardware on the ends of the wing tips and would be lighter to swivel rather than moving all that spinning prop system ? or is it redundancy and getting back down under control,..
Peter R-B
Lancashire
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I'm sure those responding to you will not 'shoot at you' as happens on other threads (US taxpayers are not footing the bill for this aircraft). In general easy answers to your question as using jet engines have associated characteristics and design efficiency levels as well as safety issues that would not allow it to be a viable choice for the intended capabilities of a commercial tiltrotor. (and of course using pure jet engines would make it a "TiltJet" rather than a "TiltRotor").
Last edited by 21stCen; 25th Apr 2014 at 18:07.
Peter-RB
Aside from the elements mentioned by 21st, consider the control afforded by the use of a proprotor and the ability to direct the thrust from the rotor disc in a much more instantaneous manner by adjusting collective and cyclic, versus the output of a turbojet whose response to thrust changes would be far more lagged.
In hover, a tiltrotor is not a turboprop with the props pointed skyward; its a pair of helicopter rotor heads with full authority cyclic and collective control.
Actuator technology is not to the point where you could achieve appropriate response from brute force tilting of a thrust vector, be it a jet engine or even a ducted fan.
Consider a yaw turn in a tilt rotor. This is accomplished by differential cyclic and flapping between the rotors. There is no differential nacelle tilt to accomplish the same maneuver because of the latency of the actuation.
Aside from the elements mentioned by 21st, consider the control afforded by the use of a proprotor and the ability to direct the thrust from the rotor disc in a much more instantaneous manner by adjusting collective and cyclic, versus the output of a turbojet whose response to thrust changes would be far more lagged.
In hover, a tiltrotor is not a turboprop with the props pointed skyward; its a pair of helicopter rotor heads with full authority cyclic and collective control.
Actuator technology is not to the point where you could achieve appropriate response from brute force tilting of a thrust vector, be it a jet engine or even a ducted fan.
Consider a yaw turn in a tilt rotor. This is accomplished by differential cyclic and flapping between the rotors. There is no differential nacelle tilt to accomplish the same maneuver because of the latency of the actuation.