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BA609 AND AB139 PREPARED FOR LIFT-OFF

The maiden flight of the first civilian tiltrotor aircraft is moving closer: on 29 November 2000, engineers at the Bell flight test centre in Arlington near Fort Worth, Texas mounted the wing, complete with rotatable engine nacelles, on the fuselage of prototype no. 1 of the BA609. By March assembly of the aircraft should be complete. Three additional pre-production aircraft, needed to get through the extensive flight test programme, are to follow.

The programme is currently limping along almost a year behind schedule as the BA609 was supposed to have its first flight at the end of 2000. However, as far as the manufacturers are concerned, delay is preferable to possible quality defects. Thus, for example, modifications have already been made to the wing and tail designs after they failed to survive simulated birdstrike tests. Then the anti-icing system took more work than expected, as ice deposits on the tail significantly increased drag.

But all in all the manufacturers are satisfied with the results of the tests. For example, tests with models have demonstrated the ability of the BA609 to remain afloat during Sea State 4, while the aircraft has now passed the birdstrike test (1.8kg at 445km/h). Bench running of the drive system has also begun, while the transmission is likewise undergoing tests.

The fact that everything has not gone as quickly as planned is quite understandable, given that certification of the first civilian tiltrotor is unfamiliar territory and requires close co-ordination with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is drawing up special new regulations for the tiltrotor. These will be a combination of FAR 29 for helicopters and FAR 25 for fixed-wing aircraft, since the BA609 falls between the two. "On every system we are proceeding step-by-step with the FAA in order to ensure that we are able to satisfy the requirements without any problems," says Don Barbour of Bell.

The same applies to pilot training, for which special conversion training rules must be specified. Bell/Agusta plans to retain control initially of this area which is important for safety, and therefore on 1 November 2000 laid the foundation for a training centre next to the administration building at Alliance Airport. Two state-of-the-art simulators from Flight Safety International (Level D standard) are to be installed here. Then there will also be cockpit procedures trainers and extensive classroom facilities.

The first students will include some staff from the FAA, who will then draw up the regulations governing crew training. According to Bell president Terry Stinson, training is expected to require 70 hours on a simulator, 20 hours more than normal. The precise numbers, however, will probably not be finalised initially, but instead a set of criteria will be established for the necessary skills, which will then be certified. Already this year 300 persons are to be trained, including of course mechanics who will be involved in maintaining the aircraft.

However, they will probably have to wait till the end of 2003 for the first deliveries of the BA609, which means a delay of a good 18 months. Nevertheless, Bell is very confident about the market prospects for the BA609. It has already received 83 orders from 44 customers in 23 countries, each of which has made a down payment of $100,000.

"These are hardly speculative reservations", says Don Barbour with confidence gained from knowing all the customers. In fact the orderbook not only includes orders from VIPs like golfer Greg Norman and billionaire Ross Perot, but also serious companies like Petroleum Helicopters, Helicopter Services from Norway, Bristow and Aero-Dienst in Nuremberg. Between them they are covering almost the entire potential range of applications of the BA609:

• Business travel. Here Bell/Agusta is marketing the tiltrotor as a "turboprop which can take off and land vertically". It is optimised to fly routes between 90 and 900km, on which it can beat helicopter or fixed wing aircraft.
• Offshore services. In this area the BA609 should be cost-effective from distances of around 275km to the oil platforms. The operational radius should be around 450km.
• rescue services, notably inter-hospital transfer flights. There is room in the cabin for two stretchers plus three medical or support staff.

The BA609's sales prospects in the military and paramilitary sectors should also be good. The US Coast Guard is examining the possibility of using it to replace its fleet of helicopter and aircraft, while the American forces may need a trainer to provide efficient training of V-22 Osprey pilots.

The Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company, founded in 1998, is also aiming for both civilian and military applications for its second product. Unlike the futuristic BA609, the AB139 is an entirely conventional helicopter in the six tonne class. It was originally solely an Agusta project, but in September 1998 Bell signed up, taking an approx. 25% stake.

In the meantime work has continued in Vergiate. The prototype to be used for ground testing was virtually complete as of the end of 2000 and the fuselages of the three prototypes were likewise moving towards manufacture. Agusta is aiming for a first flight of the AB139 in the first quarter of this year, slightly later than the original target of the end of 2000. Certification should be achieved by the end of 2002.

When it comes to marketing, there is still a lot of work to do. So far only a handful of orders have come in, from Bristow Helicopters, Helitech PTY and Elilario. Despite the difficult launch, however, the plan remains to build 900 helicopters over a 20 year period, of which over half are intended for military applications.

In any case Bell/Agusta has plenty of marketing power, especially as the European mother company has been strengthened by the merger with Westland that was recently approved by the EU. The three companies are apparently already thinking about stepping up co-operation in all areas. AgustaWestland is especially interested in support with the marketing of its EH101 in North America.

From page 30 of FLUG REVUE 2/2001