Bell/Agusta Aerospace engineers working on the BA609 Tiltrotor have stepped up their certification efforts and now plan more than 100 hours of flight testing this year–a major acceleration over the 300 hours logged since 2003. However, the first flight of the third prototype faces yet another delay. Bell/Agusta now expects certification of the hybrid helicopter/airplane design in three years.
“We have already explored the entire flight envelope and were very happy with the results,” a Bell/Agusta executive told AIN here at the show. The company will now be doing “point by point, all the tests that have been requested by the airworthiness authorities.” Meanwhile, Bell/Agusta, the FAA and EASA meet regularly. “Keep in mind that our ‘powered-lift aircraft’ category will be the first new aircraft category for certification since the helicopter in 1947,” the executive pointed out.
