Test Pilot’s Take on Autorotating the Tiltrotor | Aviation International News

Test Pilot’s Take on Autorotating the Tiltrotor

Test aircraft Number 1 made more than 70 power-off conversions from airplane to rotorcraft mode.

Over the course of 10 flight hours in March and April, an AW609 tiltrotor test aircraft made more than 70 power-off conversions from airplane to helicopter mode.

By Mark Huber • Contributor

June 2, 2014

The AgustaWestland AW609 civil tiltrotor passed another milestone on the road to certification by completing autorotation testing at AgustaWestland’s Arlington, Texas facility over the course of 10 flight hours in March and early April. Test aircraft Number 1 made more than 70 power-off conversions from airplane to helicopter mode. The Italian manufacturer said the tests covered the full windmilling and autorotation envelope and that “the performance of the aircraft exceeded expected characteristics seen during (flight) preparation in the engineering simulator.” The company characterized aircraft handling during autorotation as “benign.”

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