Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

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Thierry Dubois

AgustaWestland (Pavilion OE1) is offering an increased-gross-weight version of its AW609 tiltrotor, which trades off some vertical takeoff capability for a higher payload limit. This will make it more attractive for some missions where vertical capabilities are not needed on departure.


<a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/hai-convention-news/2012-02-11/agustawestland-goes-it-alone-tiltrotor">Type certification of the AW609</a>, for which the Anglo-Italian airframer claims to have around 60 orders, is planned for 2016. The protracted program (the aircraft first flew in 2003) is now entirely in AgustaWestland’s hands, since the company effectively took over Bell’s share late last year.


As Richard Luck, head of AW609 marketing, explained in a briefing here at the show yesterday maximum takeoff weight can be 16,800 pounds or 18,000 pounds. The latter could allow an offshore operator to take off from its land base using around 800 feet (takeoff distance to 35 feet). All nine passenger seats would be occupied and the rotorcraft would still embark with enough fuel to fly 350 nm. At the offshore oil platform, the aircraft would land and take off vertically, as weight would have reduced enough to do this. In cruise, speed would be 250 knots (these numbers assume ISA conditions, with a 30-minute fuel reserve).


The certification process is complex, according to Luck. “We have a certification basis agreed with the [U.S.] FAA,” he said. The AW609 will be certified under both Part 25 [fixed-wing aircraft] and Part 29 [helicopter] rules. In addition, the transition phase, which lasts a mere 40 seconds, calls for “a new element” of certification. EASA is shadowing the FAA’s certification effort with a view to eventual certification of the first civil tiltrotor in Europe.


The two aircraft in the flight-test program have logged a combined 700 hours. This translates to 85 percent of the flight envelope. Next in the program is autorotation testing. One aircraft is based in Cascina Costa, Italy, and the other in Arlington, Texas.


AgustaWestland officially became the sole owner of the program on Nov. 15, 2011, and the type certification application was transferred on Feb. 15, 2012. It is now the “design authority” for the AW609. Transfer of intellectual property rights from Bell is also complete and the certification has resumed.

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