Rotorcraft
AW609 Flight Testing Achieves Milestones
Civil Tiltrotor Program "Progressing Well."
Leonardo Helicopters has installed a new production main cabin door designed with an embedded rescue hoist for search-and-rescue operations on the third flight-test AW609 tiltrotor. Certification of the VTOL airplane is expected next year. (Photo: Leonardo Helicopters)
Leonardo Helicopters has installed a new production main cabin door designed with an embedded rescue hoist for search-and-rescue operations on the third flight-test AW609 tiltrotor. Certification of the VTOL airplane is expected next year. (Photo: Leonardo Helicopters)

Leonardo’s AW609 civil tiltrotor flight-test program has accumulated more than 1,400 hours and is “progressing well,” according to program manager Bill Sunick. Recent program milestones include successful drop testing of the production landing gear, production engine certification testing on test aircraft three (AC3), continued fuselage and empennage fatigue testing, installation of a new production main cabin door designed with an embedded rescue hoist for search-and-rescue operations, and the continued build of AC4 in Philadelphia. Construction should be completed by year-end. Production engine testing should also be completed in December, Sunick said.