Rotorcraft
Third AW609 Airborne, Will Soon Start Icing Trials
AC3 recently begun flight testing from the company's Philadelphia plant and will soon head to Michigan, for cold weather testing and icing trials.
AC3, the third Leonardo Helicopters AW609 civil tiltrotor, has begun flight-testing from the company's Philadelphia plant. It will soon head to Marquette, Mich., for cold-weather testing and icing trials. (Photo: Leonardo)
AC3, the third Leonardo Helicopters AW609 civil tiltrotor, has begun flight-testing from the company's Philadelphia plant. It will soon head to Marquette, Mich., for cold-weather testing and icing trials. (Photo: Leonardo)

The third Leonardo Helicopters AW609 civil tiltrotor, AC3, recently began flight testing from the company's Philadelphia plant and will soon head to Marquette, Michigan, for cold weather testing and icing trials, the company announced today. Meanwhile, AC1 has been returned to Italy for modifications, while AC4 is under assembly in Philadelphia. Manufacture of production aircraft is scheduled to start there in 2018. Leonardo also reaffirmed its intent to gain FAA certification for the AW609 next year.

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