85-673: The Leonardo AW609 , formerly the AgustaWestland AW609 , and originally the Bell-Agusta BA609 , is a twin-engined tiltrotor VTOL aircraft with an overall configuration similar to that of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey . It is capable of landing vertically like a helicopter while having a range and speed in excess of conventional rotorcraft. The AW609 is aimed at the civil aviation market, in particular VIP customers and offshore oil and gas operators. It has progressed from
170-403: A search and rescue model featuring a hoist/basket and four single seats. Medevac and patrol/surveillance-orientated variants have been proposed. For increased passenger comfort, the cabin is pressurised and equipped with soundproofing . Access to the cabin is via a 35-inch-wide (89 cm), two-piece clamshell door, center-set into the fuselage underneath the wings. The AW609 is powered by
255-476: A 10% reduction in drag and a significant reduction in overall weight, increasing the AW609's performance and capabilities. Separate improvement programs were underway on the aircraft's engines and avionics systems. In 2015, AgustaWestland announced the development of external fuel tanks which would permit 800 nmi (920 mi; 1,500 km) flights carrying six passengers over three hours. In 2013, AgustaWestland
340-541: A 66-degree downwards angle to reduce the wing area being encountered by downwash from the proprotors. A high-mounted rudderless vertical stabiliser is attached the rear of the fuselage to stabilise flight while in aircraft mode. In the event of a single engine failure, either engine can provide power to both proprotors via a drive shaft. The AW609 is also capable of autorotation . The AW609 has been designed to achieve Full Transport Category/Class 1 performance, to operate safely even when flown under single engine conditions. It
425-468: A concept in the late 1990s, to development and testing, and is working towards certification in the 2020s. The BA609 drew on experience gained from Bell's earlier experimental tiltrotor, the XV-15 . In 1996, Bell and Boeing formed a partnership to develop a civil tiltrotor aircraft. In March 1998, Boeing pulled out of the project. In September 1998, Agusta became a partner in the development program. This led to
510-431: A conventional fixed-wing aircraft . For vertical flight, the rotors are angled so the plane of rotation is horizontal, generating lift the way a normal helicopter rotor does. As the aircraft gains speed, the rotors are progressively tilted forward, with the plane of rotation eventually becoming vertical. In this mode the rotors provide thrust as a propeller , and the airfoil of the fixed wings takes over providing
595-435: A cruise speed of 300 knots, a top speed of 330 knots, a ceiling of 25,000 feet, and a range of 500 nautical miles. In vertical flight, the tiltrotor uses controls very similar to a twin or tandem-rotor helicopter. Yaw is controlled by tilting its rotors in opposite directions. Roll is provided through differential power or thrust. Pitch is provided through rotor blades cyclic -, or nacelle , tilt. Vertical motion
680-423: A decrease of cyclic authority. In single rotor helicopters, the vortex ring state is traditionally corrected by slightly lowering the collective to regain cyclic authority and using the cyclic control to apply lateral motion, often pitching the nose down to establish forward flight. In tandem-rotor helicopters, recovery is accomplished through lateral cyclic or pedal input or both. The aircraft will fly out of
765-557: A few tiltrotor projects, mostly unmanned such as the Mil Mi-30 , and has started another in 2015. Around 2005 –2010, Bell and Boeing teamed up again to perform a conceptual study of a larger Quad TiltRotor (QTR) for the US Army's Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) program. The QTR is a larger, four rotor version of the V-22 with two tandem wings sets of fixed wings and four tilting rotors. In January 2013,
850-571: A flight plan that included high speed testing. Investigators consider the most likely cause to be changes in flight control laws and tail changes. These led to a " Dutch roll " instability while diving at 293 kn (337 mph; 542 km/h) where previously only 285 kn (328 mph; 528 km/h) had been achieved. The Italian authorities seized the third prototype in May 2016, and returned it for flight testing in July. The final report stated that during
935-506: A helicopter. In vertical flight, the mono tiltrotor uses controls very similar to a coaxial helicopter, such as the Kamov Ka-50 . Yaw is controlled for instance by increasing the lift on the upper proprotor while decreasing the lift on the lower proprotor. Roll and pitch are provided through rotor cyclic. Vertical motion is controlled with conventional rotor blade blade pitch . Vortex ring state The vortex ring state (VRS)
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#17328522482241020-404: A high-speed dive with a left turn, "slight lateral-direction oscillations" started on roll-out and grew in amplitude and frequency. The pilot attempted to correct the roll with "counterphase input roll manoeuvres and then pedal inputs", but this did not dampen the oscillations. They instead became divergent, bringing the sideslip angle at 10.5°, well above the 4° maximum allowed, "inducing contact of
1105-428: A military version; an AW609 for utility, medevac, or search and rescue versions began to be discussed more seriously. The AW609 is a tiltrotor aircraft capable of performing vertical landings whereas conventional fixed-wing aircraft cannot, allowing the type to serve locations such as heliports or very small airports, while possessing twice the speed and the range of any available helicopter. AgustaWestland promotes
1190-488: A new category called " powered lift ". In January 2013, the FAA defined US tiltrotor noise rules to comply with ICAO rules, expecting the AW609 to be available within 10 years. Noise certification will cost $ 588,000, which is the same as for a large helicopter. In February 2014, the AW609 conducted its first customer demonstration flights, in both airplane and helicopter modes, and began certification flights. In early summer 2014,
1275-406: A pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67A turboshaft engines, which each drive a three-bladed proprotor. These engines possess roughly twice the horsepower of the similarly sized AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter. Both of the engine and proprotor pairs are mounted on a load-bearing rotatable pylon at the wing's ends, allowing the proprotors to be positioned at various angles. In helicopter mode,
1360-463: A price of between $ 8 and $ 10 million." Since 1999, orders have been at a price to be confirmed no later than 24 months before aircraft delivery. In 2012, industry reporters estimated that the final price tag may come to $ 30 million per unit. In 2015, some believed the price to be only around $ 24 million. In 1999, there were 77 confirmed orders. In 2012, there were 70 orders, depending on the final unit price. As of March 2015, there were 60 orders for
1445-428: A rotationally symmetrical form over the tips of the blades, supported by a laminar flow over the blade tips, and a countering upflow of air outside and away from the rotor. In this condition, the rotor falls into a new topological state of the surrounding flow field, induced by its own downwash, and suddenly loses lift. Since vortex rings are a surprisingly stable fluid dynamical phenomena (a form of topological soliton ),
1530-415: A runway. A drawback however is that a tiltrotor suffers considerably reduced payload when taking off from high altitude. A mono tiltrotor aircraft uses a tiltable rotating propeller , or coaxial proprotor , for lift and propulsion . For vertical flight the proprotor is angled to direct its thrust downwards, providing lift. In this mode of operation the craft is essentially identical to a helicopter. As
1615-404: A safe dual-engine failure in normal cruise flight on 15 May 2009. By February 2012, this had risen to 650 hours, and it was reported that 85 per cent of the AW609's flight envelope had been explored. Test pilot Paul Edwards has stated that the AW609 was not susceptible to the vortex ring state phenomena, naturally slipping out of the vortex on its own since both rotors will not simultaneously enter
1700-668: A single reciprocating engine. Development started on the Model 1-G in 1947, though it did not fly until 1954. The Model 1-G flew for about a year until a crash in Chesapeake Bay on July 20, 1955, destroying the prototype aircraft but not seriously injuring the pilot. The Model 2 was developed and flew shortly afterwards, but the US Air Force withdrew funding in favor of the Bell XV-3 and it did not fly much beyond hover tests. The Transcendental 1-G
1785-611: Is a dangerous aerodynamic condition that may arise in helicopter flight, when a vortex ring system engulfs the rotor , causing severe loss of lift . Often the term settling with power is used as a synonym, e.g., in Australia, the UK, and the US, but not in Canada, which uses the latter term for a different phenomenon. A vortex ring state sets in when the airflow around a helicopter's main rotor assumes
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#17328522482241870-468: Is an aircraft that generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called proprotors ) mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing . Almost all tiltrotors use a transverse rotor design, with a few exceptions that use other multirotor layouts. Tiltrotor design combines the VTOL capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of
1955-525: Is controlled with conventional rotor blade pitch and either a conventional helicopter collective control lever (as in the Bell/Agusta BA609 ) or a unique control similar to a fixed-wing engine control called a thrust control lever (TCL) (as in the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey ). The tiltrotor's advantage is significantly greater speed than a helicopter. In a helicopter the maximum forward speed
2040-403: Is defined by the turn speed of the rotor ; at some point the helicopter will be moving forward at the same speed as the spinning of the backwards-moving side of the rotor, so that side of the rotor sees zero or negative airspeed , and begins to stall . This limits modern helicopters to cruise speeds of about 150 knots / 277 km/h. However, with the tiltrotor this problem is avoided, because
2125-422: Is documented as being able to do this, when unladen. Helicopter pilots are most commonly taught to avoid VRS by monitoring their rates of descent at lower airspeeds. When encountering VRS, pilots are taught to apply forward cyclic to fly out of the condition and/or lowering collective pitch . While transitioning to forward or lateral flight will alleviate the condition by itself, lowering the collective to reduce
2210-402: Is equipped with a de-icing system , and is to be certified for flying into known icing conditions . Building on experiences with the V-22, the AW609 is outfitted with a sink rate warning system. Avionics include a triple-redundant digital fly-by-wire flight control system, a head-up display system, and Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC). The cockpit has been designed so that
2295-445: Is not available to maintain the airfoil of the rotor at a stalled condition, while generating sufficient lift, the aircraft will not be able to stay aloft before the vortex ring state dissipates, and will crash. This condition also occurs with tiltrotors , and it was responsible for an accident involving a V-22 Osprey in 2000. Vortex ring state caused the loss of a heavily modified MH-60 helicopter during Operation Neptune Spear ,
2380-402: Is significant in certain uses. Speed and, more importantly, the benefit to overall response time is the principal virtue sought by the military forces that are using the tiltrotor. Tiltrotors are inherently less noisy in forward flight (airplane mode) than helicopters. This, combined with their increased speed, is expected to improve their utility in populated areas for commercial uses and reduce
2465-647: Is the tiltwing . Although two designs, the Canadair CL-84 Dynavert and the LTV XC-142 , were technical successes, neither entered production due to other issues. Tiltrotors generally have better hover efficiency than tiltwings, but less than helicopters. In 1968, Westland Aircraft displayed their own designs—a small experimental craft (We 01C) and a 68-seater transport We 028—at the SBAC Farnborough Airshow . In 1972, with funding from NASA and
2550-407: Is the first tiltrotor aircraft to have flown and accomplished most of a helicopter to aircraft transition in flight (to within 10 degrees of true horizontal aircraft flight). Built in 1953, the experimental Bell XV-3 flew until 1966, proving the fundamental soundness of the tiltrotor concept and gathering data about technical improvements needed for future designs. A related technology development
2635-517: The FAA defined US tiltrotor noise rules to comply with ICAO rules. A noise certification will cost $ 588,000, same as for a large helicopter. AgustaWestland says they have free-flown a manned electric tiltrotor in 2013 called Project Zero , with its rotors inside the wingspan. In 2013, Bell Helicopter CEO John Garrison responded to Boeing's taking a different airframe partner for the US Army's future lift requirements by indicating that Bell would take
Leonardo AW609 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-557: The Focke-Achgelis Fa 269 , was developed starting in 1942, which was tilting to the ground, but never flew. Platt and LePage patented the PL-16, the first American tiltrotor aircraft. However, the company shut down in August 1946 due to lack of capital. Two prototypes which made it to flight were the one-seat Transcendental Model 1-G and two seat Transcendental Model 2, each powered by
2805-721: The Iven C. Kincheloe Award for their role in the tests. In February 2023, pilots from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flew the AW609 tiltrotor, representing the first time the regulator's pilots had flown the type. The Leonardo company described the flight as a pre-TIA (type inspection authorization) activity, as it moves towards the final stage of the certification process. EASA pilots subsequently commenced familarisation flights in March 2023 with certification and entry into service projected to be sometime in 2024. At
2890-456: The Sikorsky S-92 had reduced the potential market for tiltrotors. Also in 2008, it was reported that limited funding of the program by both Bell and AgustaWestland had resulted in slow flight testing progress. In September 2009, AgustaWestland chief executive Giuseppe Orsi said that corporate parent Finmeccanica had authorised buying Bell Helicopter out of the program to speed it up, as Bell
2975-523: The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps . Bell teamed with Boeing in developing a commercial tiltrotor, but Boeing went out in 1998 and Agusta came in for the Bell/Agusta BA609 . This aircraft was redesignated as the AW609 following the transfer of full ownership to AgustaWestland in 2011. Bell has also developed a tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the TR918 Eagle Eye . Russia has had
3060-534: The U.S. Army , Bell Helicopter Textron started development of the XV-15 , a twin-engine tiltrotor research aircraft. Two aircraft were built to prove the tiltrotor design and explore the operational flight envelope for military and civil applications. In 1981, using experience gained from the XV-3 and XV-15, Bell and Boeing Helicopters began developing the V-22 Osprey , a twin-turboshaft military tiltrotor aircraft for
3145-421: The wing tips , in that the coaxial proprotor is mounted to the aircraft's fuselage . As a result of this structural efficiency, a mono tiltrotor exceeds the transport efficiency (speed times payload) of both a helicopter and a conventional tiltrotor. One design study concluded that if the mono tiltrotor could be technically realized, it would be half the size, one-third the weight, and nearly twice as fast as
3230-459: The 1930s. The first design resembling modern tiltrotors was patented by George Lehberger in May 1930, but he did not further develop the concept. In World War II , Weserflug in Germany came up with the concept of their P.1003/1 around 1938, which was tilting to the top with part of the wings but not the full wings, so it may be in between tilt-rotor and tilt-planes. Shortly after a German prototype ,
3315-473: The 2011 raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed. Because the blades are rotating about a central axis, the speed of each airfoil is lowest at the point where it connects to the hub-and-grip assembly. This fundamental physical reality means that the innermost portion of each blade has an inherent vulnerability to stalling . In forward flight with translational lift , there is no upward flow ( upflow ) of air in
3400-680: The 609 for commercial applications and kept the V-280 for military use only. Bell stated that conventional helicopters were not part of Bell's future for military customers. The aircraft's purpose is to take off and land vertically, but fly faster than a helicopter. Over 45 different aircraft have flown proving VTOL and STOL capabilities, of which the V-22, Harrier "jump jet" family , Yakovlev Yak-38 and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II jets have proceeded to production. By 2008, Bell had estimated that very light jets and large offshore helicopters like
3485-417: The AW609 can be flown by a single pilot in instrument flight rules conditions. Several of the aircraft's controls, such as blade pitch, are designed to resemble and function their counterparts on conventional rotorcraft, enabling helicopter pilots to transition to the type more easily. Elements of the aircraft's controls feature touchscreen interfaces. Shortly following AgustaWestland's full acquisition of
Leonardo AW609 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-589: The AW609 flew 721 miles (1,161 km) from Yeovil , UK, to Milan , Italy, in 2 hours 18 minutes. In September 2015, the first AW609 prototype was reportedly nearing the end of its service life, while a third prototype was finishing construction at the company's Vergiate facility and a fourth prototype was being built in Philadelphia . On 30 October 2015, the second of the two prototypes (N609AG) crashed near AgustaWestland's Vergiate facility in north west Italy, killing both pilots. In 2002, Type certification of
3655-588: The AW609 has been offshore oil and gas operations, which require aircraft capable of traversing the increasing distances involved. In 2001, Bell estimated a market for 1,000 aircraft. Bell/Agusta stated in 2007 that they intend for the BA609 to compete with corporate business jets and helicopters, and that the BA609 would be of interest to any operator that has a mixed fleet of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. In 2004, Lt. Gen. Michael Hough, USMC deputy commandant for aviation, requested that Bell conduct studies into arming
3740-550: The AW609 has civilian aspects, the European Commission requires AgustaWestland to pay back progressive amounts per aircraft to the Italian state to avoid a distortion of competition. As of 2015, Bell continues to perform contract work on the AW609 program, while considering commercial potential for the bigger V-280 tiltrotor , where military production may reach larger numbers and hence reduce unit cost . In 2016, Bell preferred
3825-424: The AW609 performed FAA-monitored autorotation tests. More than 79 power-off conversions from airplane mode to helicopter mode were made across 10 flight hours. During these tests, it was found that the minimum operating requirements for successful autorotation include the altitude being 3,000 ft (910 m), and that the system keeps rotor rpm above the minimum 70% for stable recovery. The test pilots received
3910-404: The AW609. In March 2015, Bristow Group signed a joint development agreement with AgustaWestland at Heli-Expo , which would allow Bristow to exclusively direct the direction of the tiltrotor for offshore missions such as oil and gas operations. The changes could extend beyond the AW609 to potentially affect the design of larger and more advanced models that AgustaWestland was planning to introduce in
3995-525: The AW609. The company intends to have production facilities ready for completing orders right after FAA certification. Bristow Helicopters intends to order 10 or more. Michael Bloomberg , the U.S. billionaire businessman and politician, is "near the top" of the list of buyers who have put a deposit down on the AW609 tiltrotor aircraft. In February 2015, the Italian Army released a white paper documenting its vision of future procurement efforts. It included
4080-406: The BA609, potentially to act as an escort for V-22s. However, AgustaWestland's deal with Bell for taking over the BA609 program precludes the aircraft from carrying arms. In 2001, Terry Stinson, then chairman and CEO of Bell Helicopters, declared that the aircraft will cost "at least US$ 10 million ". In 2004, Don Barbour, then executive marketing director, stated that "early orders had been taken at
4165-494: The FAA stated that the AW609 was to be certified in compliance with both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft rules. New codes were to be developed to cover the transition phase between the two modes. Of the 217 Pilot Training Tasks, 10 are unique tiltrotor tasks. AW609 Certification Basis is established by the FAA under the provisions of Part 21.17(b) for "Special Class Aircraft" along with a portion of Part 25 ( fixed-wing aircraft ) and 29 (helicopter) and new specific tiltrotor parts in
4250-553: The Farnborough Air Show in July 2012, AgustaWestland announced a higher-weight variant of the AW609, up to 17,500 pounds or 7,900 kilograms. This model would trade some of its vertical takeoff performance for increased payload capacity. Officials from AgustaWestland have suggested that this short take off and vertical landing ( STOVL ) variant may be an attractive option for search and rescue and maritime operators. According to senior vice-president of marketing Roberto Garavaglia,
4335-408: The Italian government is interested in acquiring several AW609s for coastal patrol duties. Due to an agreement with Bell, these may not feature armament. In June 2013, AgustaWestland announced that work to integrate design changes as part of a major modernisation would delay the AW609's certification by up to one year. These design changes primarily involved aerodynamic improvements, aimed at achieving
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#17328522482244420-681: The UAE has been signed. Currently being built at AWPC Philadelphia , in March 2022, Leonardo projected entry into service as early as 2023. In 2023, the AW609 entered the final stage of flight certification, and as of 2024 it is estimated this process could be completed as early as 2025. On 30 October 2015, the second of the two prototypes (N609AG), which first flew in 2006, crashed near AgustaWestland's Vergiate facility in North West Italy, killing long-time test pilots Pietro Venanzi and Herb Moran. The aircraft broke up in midair after 27 minutes of flight, on
4505-484: The aircraft was projected for 2007. In 2007, certification was projected for 2011. In August 2012, the aircraft was forecast to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification in early 2016. The company expected to achieve FAA certification in 2017. Some delays were caused by lack of funding for the FAA, others by the V-22 troubles, while AgustaWestland also spent time increasing performance and reducing cost. In 2012,
4590-441: The best way to recover from them is to laterally steer clear of them, in order to re-establish lift, and to break them up using maximum engine power, in order to establish turbulence . This is also why the condition is often mistaken for "settling with insufficient power": high-powered maneuvers can both induce a vortex ring state in free air, and then at low altitude, during landing conditions, possibly break it. If sufficient power
4675-458: The condition can lead to high descent rates and catastrophic ground impact. A helicopter normally encounters this condition when attempting to hover out-of- ground-effect (OGE) without maintaining precise altitude control, and while making downwind or steep, powered approaches when the airspeed is below Effective Translational Lift (ETL). The signs of VRS are a vibration in the main rotor system followed by an increasing sink rate and possibly
4760-406: The correct tilt angle and air speed settings. When flying in airplane mode, the majority of lift is produced by the AW609's wings, which are slightly forward-swept . Both the wing and the main fuselage are made largely of composite materials . The 34-foot-long (10 m) wings feature flaperon control surfaces which are normally automatically controlled. In vertical flight, the flaperons drop to
4845-427: The craft gains speed, the coaxial proprotor is slowly tilted forward, with the blades eventually becoming perpendicular to the ground. In this mode the wing provides the lift, and the wing's greater efficiency helps the tiltrotor achieve its high speed. In this mode, the craft is essentially a turboprop aircraft. A mono tiltrotor aircraft is different from a conventional tiltrotor in which the proprotors are mounted to
4930-409: The development and testing of new avionics and control systems, was also underway. By November 2012, over 700 flight hours had been accumulated by the two operational prototypes. In January 2014, it was reported that in excess of 850 flying hours had been accumulated by the two prototypes. Accumulated flight data is used to further develop representative simulators, which are in turn being used to support
5015-416: The development program. By March 2015, the two prototype aircraft had accumulated 1,200 hours, of about 2,000 hours necessary for certification. Two more aircraft were expected to fly that year. Flight test maximums had progressed to a weight of 18,000 lb (8,200 kg), a speed of 293 kn (337 mph; 543 km/h), and 30,000 ft (9,100 m) altitude. In 2015, AgustaWestland reported that
5100-477: The direction of tail rotor thrust, increase the collective to climb power, and coordinate with the power pedal to maintain heading (cross controls). Recovery is complete when the rotor disc reaches the upwind part of the vortex. It is possible to power out of vortex ring state, but this requires having about twice the power it takes to hover. Only one full-scale helicopter, the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane ,
5185-405: The early 2020s. The introduction of tiltrotors would allow for point-to-point operations, flying oil company personnel to platforms from major population centers with a greater margin of safety. Industry journalists viewed the agreement as an approval of the tiltrotor technology from the commercial industry, where previously only the military were interested. In the early 2020s there was interest in
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#17328522482245270-699: The entire wing. This method trades off efficiency in vertical flight for efficiency in STOL / STOVL operations. The first work in the direction of a tilt-rotor (French "Convertible") seems to have originated ca. 1902 by the French-Swiss brothers Henri and Armand Dufaux, for which they got a patent in February 1904, and made their work public in April 1905. Concrete ideas of constructing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft using helicopter-like rotors were pushed further in
5355-536: The establishment of the Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company (BAAC), a joint venture between Bell Helicopter and AgustaWestland , to develop and manufacture the aircraft, which was named Bell-Agusta AB-609; the two companies simultaneously worked on a conventional medium helicopter project (the Agusta-Bell AB139 ). The Italian government subsidized Agusta's development of a military tiltrotor, and as
5440-443: The expense of payload . As a result of this reduced payload, some estimate that a tiltrotor does not exceed the transport efficiency (speed times payload) of a helicopter, while others conclude the opposite. Additionally, the tiltrotor propulsion system is more complex than a conventional helicopter due to the large, articulated nacelles and the added wing; however, the improved cruise efficiency and speed improvement over helicopters
5525-406: The hub area. As forward airspeed decreases and vertical descent rates increase, an upflow begins simply because there are no airfoil surfaces in the area of the hub, mast and blade-grip assembly. Then, as the volume of upflow increases in the central region (i.e. between the hub and the innermost edges of the airfoils), the induced flow (air pulled or "induced" downwards through the rotor system) of
5610-409: The inner blade sections is overcome. This causes the innermost portions of the blades to begin to stall . As the inner blade sections stall, a second set of vortices, similar to the rotor-tip vortices, begins to form in and around the center of the rotor system. This, combined with the outer set of vortices, results in severe loss of lift. The failure of a helicopter pilot to recognize and react to
5695-412: The intention to procure a force of tiltrotor aircraft for rapid troop-transport and medical evacuation duties. It has been speculated in the media that the AW609 is a likely candidate for the requirement. In November 2015, United Arab Emirates selected a search and rescue variant of the AW609, signing a memorandum of understanding for three, with an option for three more. As of May 2019, no contract with
5780-637: The lead itself in developing the Bell V-280 Valor , with Lockheed Martin. In 2014, the Clean Sky 2 program (by the European Union and industry) awarded AgustaWestland and its partners $ 328 million to develop a "next-generation civil tiltrotor" design for the offshore market, with Critical Design Review near the end of 2016. The goals are tilting wing sections, 11 metric tons Maximum takeoff weight , seating for 19 to 22 passengers, first flight in 2021,
5865-399: The lift via the forward motion of the entire aircraft. Since the rotors can be configured to be more efficient for propulsion (e.g. with root-tip twist) and it avoids a helicopter's issues of retreating blade stall , the tiltrotor can achieve higher cruise speeds and takeoff weights than helicopters. A tiltrotor aircraft differs from a tiltwing in that only the rotor pivots rather than
5950-518: The point that the pilot may severely lose cyclic authority due to the disrupted airflow. In these cases, the pilot's only recourse may be to enter an autorotation to break the rotor system free of its vortex ring state. In a tandem rotor helicopter, forward cyclic will not arrest the rate of descent caused by VRS. In such a helicopter, which utilizes differential collective pitch in order to gain airspeed, lateral cyclic inputs must be made accompanied by pedal inputs in order to slide horizontally out of
6035-406: The power demand decreases the size of the vortices and reduces the amount of time required to be free of the condition. However, since the condition often occurs near the ground, lowering the collective may not be an option; a loss of altitude will occur proportional to the rate of descent developed before beginning the recovery. In some cases, vortex ring state is encountered and allowed to advance to
6120-595: The production site for the AW139 , AW119 KXe and AW169 . Two to three AW609 aircraft will be assembled there beginning in 2017, and once production matures, a second final assembly line is being considered for Italy. Leonardo has a flight simulator in Philadelphia to assist pilot training in the peculiarities of flying a tiltrotor. In 2015, Bristow Helicopters and AgustaWestland agreed to develop dedicated offshore oil and gas transport, and search and rescue configurations for
6205-429: The program, a substantial modernisation of the AW609's design was initiated in 2012. These changes included new engines and the redesigning of the cockpit. As part of the design refresh, new flight management systems, Northrop Grumman inertial and GPS navigation systems, and other avionics from Rockwell Collins were adopted. Bell/Agusta aimed the aircraft "at the government and military markets". Another key market for
6290-606: The programme, redesignating the aircraft as "AW609", and that Bell Helicopter will remain in the role of component design and certification. In November 2011, the exchange of ownership was completed, following the granting of regulatory approval - media estimated that the transfer happened at little cost. On 6 December 2002, the first ground tests of the BA609 prototype began. The first flight took place on 7 March 2003 in Arlington, Texas , flown by test pilots Roy Hopkins and Dwayne Williams. After 14 hours of helicopter-mode flight testing,
6375-408: The proprotors are perpendicular to the motion in the high-speed portions of the flight regime (and thus not subject to this reverse flow condition), so the tiltrotor has relatively high maximum speed—over 300 knots / 560 km/h has been demonstrated in the two types of tiltrotors flown so far, and cruise speeds of 250 knots / 460 km/h are achieved. This speed is achieved somewhat at
6460-443: The proprotors can be positioned between a 75- and 95-degree angle from the horizontal, with 87 degrees being the typical selection for hovering vertically. In airplane mode, the proprotors are rotated forward and locked in position at a zero-degree angle, spinning at 84% RPM . The flight control software reportedly handles much of the complexity of the transitioning between helicopter and airplane modes. Automated systems guide pilots to
6545-463: The prototype was moved to a ground testing rig to study the operational effects of the conversion modes. Following the completion of ground-based testing, on 3 June 2005 the prototype resumed flight testing, focusing on the expansion of its flight envelope . On 22 July 2005, the first conversion from helicopter to aeroplane mode while in flight took place. By October 2008, 365 flight-hours had been logged by two prototype aircraft. The AW609 demonstrated
6630-539: The right proprotor with the right wing due to excessive flapping of the proprotor blades". This severed fuel and hydraulic lines in the wing leading edge, triggering a fire. Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 2004-05 The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003–2004 , Jane's 2000 , the BA609 and AW609 data sheets and others General characteristics Performance Avionics Related development Related lists Tiltrotor A tiltrotor
6715-712: The threat of detection for military uses. Tiltrotors, however, are typically as loud as equally sized helicopters in hovering flight. Noise simulations for a 90-passenger tiltrotor indicate lower cruise noise inside the cabin than a Bombardier Dash 8 airplane, although low-frequency vibrations may be higher. Tiltrotors also provide substantially greater cruise altitude capability than helicopters. Tiltrotors can easily reach 6,000 m / 20,000 ft or more whereas helicopters typically do not exceed 3,000 m / 10,000 ft altitude. This feature will mean that some uses that have been commonly considered only for fixed-wing aircraft can now be supported with tiltrotors without need of
6800-442: The type as "...combining the benefits of a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft into one aircraft". The AW609 appears to be outwardly similar to the military-orientated V-22 Osprey. However, the two aircraft share few components. Unlike the V-22, the AW609 has a pressurised cabin. As of 2013, multiple cabin configurations have been projected, including a standard nine-passenger layout, a six-to-seven-passenger VIP/executive cabin, and
6885-528: The vortex ring into "clean air", and will be able to regain lift. Another correction now widely known as the Vuichard Recovery Technique after gaining recent popularity, was taught by Claude Vuichard, a Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) inspector in Switzerland. This technique uses a combination of all three controls together to reduce altitude loss and recover more quickly: apply cyclic in
6970-414: The vortex ring state's disturbed air. Radio controlled multirotors (common on drones) are subject to normal rotorcraft aerodynamics, including vortex ring state. Frame design, size and power affect the likelihood of entering the state and recovering from it. Multirotors that do not have altitude hold are also more likely to succumb to operator error, where the pilot drops the craft too fast resulting in
7055-515: The vortex ring state. In 2011, AgustaWestland began construction of a third prototype. That prototype was still not fully assembled by February 2015. The company plans to conduct test flights in Italy in the summer of 2015. AgustaWestland planned to then disassemble it and ship it to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , to prepare it for tests of the de-icing system in Minnesota . A fourth prototype, to be used in
7140-425: Was considering a US-based final assembly point for production AW609s. Managing director Robert LaBelle stated that 35% of the customers for the tiltrotor are expected to come from the US market. Reportedly, the primary production line was to be located in Italy while a second production line in the US was under consideration. In 2015 AgustaWestland announced that the AW609 will be produced at its Philadelphia facility,
7225-414: Was dissatisfied with the commercial prospects and wanted to spend the resources on other programs. In 2013 AgustaWestland estimated a market of 700 aircraft over 20 years. By 2011, negotiations centred on the full transfer of technologies shared with the V-22, however Bell stated that no technology was shared with the V-22. At the 2011 Paris Air Show, AgustaWestland stated that it will assume full ownership of
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