Bell HelicopterBell 429

Bell expects certification for its new$4.865 million (2007 $) light twin in thesecond quarter, with customer deliveries tobegin shortly thereafter. Bell claims ordersfor more than 350. Five aircraft are currentlyin flight test. Final performance numbers areexpected to exceed preliminary estimates interms of top speed (better than 142 knotswith skids) and service ceiling.

The 429 is equipped with two Pratt &Whitney Canada PW207D1 turboshafts(730 shp max), and it will be certified forsingle-pilot IFR, have an mtow of 7,000pounds and seat the pilot and seven passen-gers. Cabin volume is 130 cu ft andstandard fuel capacity is 215 gallons.Avionics include two Rogerson KratosLCDs, dual Garmin GNS 430s, three-axisautopilot and EGPWS.

The first 14 production aircraft arealready in sub-assembly build and Bellplans to gradually ramp up production ofthe 429 over the next three to four years,achieving full-rate production of 115 peryear after 2011.

Bell/Agusta BA609

Despite plans to add two more test air-craft to the fleet last year, only two 609s arecurrently flying, one in Texas and one inItaly, in parallel flight-test programs. How-ever, the next two aircraft are underconstruction and will be flying next year.Last year Bell said that developmentalflight testing had reached “the halfwaypoint” and that preparations are beingmade for certification tests. Bell currently

reports orders for 77 copies of the 609. The six- to nine-passenger BA609 is

powered by two P&WC PT6-67As. Maxi-mum range (without reserves) is 750 nm,while the maximum cruise speed is 275knots. Mtow is 16,800 pounds.

To date during a total of approximately2,400 hours of flight testing (most for devel-opment flight testing), the 609 has achieveda maximum forward speed of 310 knots,25,000 feet pressure altitude in airplanemode, and rearward and sideways flight to35 knots. The 609 has flown at mtow, atextreme forward and aft cg, and at speedsup to and beyond the maximum operatingredline for various nacelle angles beyondthe gross weight and altitude envelope.

EurocopterEC 175

The EC 175 medium twin, jointly devel-oped by Eurocopter and China’s HarbinAviation Industry (HAIG), is slated to makeits maiden flight during the fourth quarterof this year. On November 15 in HarbinHAIG delivered the first airframe to theEuropean manufacturer. Final assembly ofthe prototype will take place at Eurocopter’sheadquarters in Marignane, France.

EASA certification is pegged for 2011,with certification from Chinese authorityCAAC to follow the next year. Deliverieswill begin the same year.

Development of the main gearbox iswell under way. Ground tests started inMarignane, France, in late 2007. The shapeof the gear’s teeth has been reworked toreduce cabin noise. The main gearbox willlink the two 2,000-shp Pratt & WhitneyCanada PT6-67E turboshafts to the five-blade Spheriflex main rotor.

HAIG is in charge of the airframe, mainrotor, tail transmission, flight controls andfuel system. Eurocopter is responsible for themain gearbox, tail rotor, avionics, hydraulicsand electric system. Integration and flighttesting also falls under Eurocopter’s purview.Two production lines will be set up, one inMarignane and one in Harbin.

The EC 175 (or Z15, under its Chinesedesignation) is understood to be designedfor two-pilot IFR and single-pilot VFRoperations when carrying up to 16 passen-gers. HAI Convention News understandsthe cruise speed will be in the 140- to 150-knot bracket. Range is expected to be atleast 200 nm.

Hindustan AeronauticsDhruv

EASA validation of Indian certificationof the Dhruv light twin is in motion,according to India-based manufacturerHindustan Aeronautics. A tentative sched-ule referred to “early 2009” for thismilestone. According to a spokesman,

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NEWROTORCRAFTby Thierry Dubois and Mark Huber

Several long-simmering new helicopter development programs are likelyto reach either first flights or certification this year and, despite an expectedcontraction in the medevac and offshore markets, orders and potentialorders for these new models are likely to be strong.

2009

Bell 429

Dhruv, EASA certification

Robinson R66

2010

Sikorsky S-76D

2011Bell/Agusta BA609

Eurocopter EC 175,

EASA certification2016

X-Hawk

Sikorsky is not pursuing certification of the X2technology demonstrator. Rather, it will certify the technology on other aircraft.Schweizer declined to provide a certification estimate for the 434.

NEW ROTORCRAFT CERTIFICATION TIMELINE

Eurocopter EC 175

Bell/Agusta BA609

Bell 429

HAL Dhruv

“government-to-government cooperationformalization” is a prerequisite. The vali-dation should then “move fast.”

Shakti engine trials are continuing, andHAL hoped to start high-altitude/cold-weather trials last month. These engineswill be installed on production helicoptersbeginning this year or next. Replacing theTurbomeca TM333, the Turbomeca-HALArdiden 1H (Shakti, under its local desig-nation) is intended to enhance the

helicopter’s reliability and performanceunder hot and high conditions.

For an offshore mission, with 10 pas-sengers and a crew of two, HAL says theDhruv can fly 300 nm. Its best-range speedis close to 120 knots.

Robinson HelicopterR66

Robinson Helicopter expects to com-plete its second, five-seat turbinesingle-engine R66 prototype this month andto add a third test aircraft to the fleet later inthe year. Certification is expected late thisyear. The company has not set a price forthe R66, although it is expected to bearound $1 million, and is not taking orders.

Robinson said the R66 will be offeredwith the same avionics packages andoptions currently available on its R44 pis-ton helicopters and that there were no plansto offer integrated glass panel avionics.

The company expects to start flight test-ing with a certified Rolls-Royce RR300turboshaft early this year. The new helicop-

ter has a somewhat longer and wider fuse-lage, longer tailboom and taller main rotormast than the R44.

Sikorsky-SchweizerSchweizer 434

The Schweizer 434 made its first flighton December 18 at Horseheads, N.Y., anddeliveries to overseas military customersare scheduled to begin next month. A com-pany spokeswoman declined to speculateon when the new light turbine single wouldgain U.S. certification.

Schweizer announced this more power-ful and updated $933,000 version of the

single-engine 333 last year and 15 initialorders. Many of the improvements on the434–including a more powerful engine(Rolls-Royce 250-C20W, 320 shp maxtakeoff power) and a four-blade mainrotor–were derived from the unmannedMQ-4B Fire Scout VTUAV. The improve-ments boost useful load of the 434 by morethan 30 percent over the 333 model, to1,855 pounds. The 434 also has slightlymore fuel capacity (84 gallons, comparedwith 73 in the 333), will be nominally faster(105 knots compared with the 100-knot333), and have more comfortable seats.Deliveries are expected to begin in 2011.

SikorskyS-76D

Sikorsky’s S-76D, the latest variant ofits S-76 medium twin family, made its firstflight on February 7, a few months behindschedule. The first flight-test aircraft wasshipped late last year from Sikorsky’s Keystone plant in Pennsylvania to the

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NEWROTORCRAFTuContinued from page 32

Robinson R66

Sikorsky S-76D

Continued on page 36 u

company’s Flight Test Center in West PalmBeach, Fla. Two other prototypes are cur-rently under construction at Keystone.Sikorsky says it has orders for “more than100” S-76Ds. Certification is anticipated inearly to mid-2010.

The S-76D, equipped with a ThalesTopDeck avionics suite, will cruise at 155knots, have a maximum takeoff weight of11,700 pounds and a maximum range of

441 nm (no reserve). The price tag is esti-mated to be $11.5 million.

X2 Technology Demonstrator The X2 technology demonstrator com-

pound helicopter made its first flight onAug. 27, 2008, from a taxiway at the Siko-rsky- Schweizer rapid prototyping facilityin Horseheads, N.Y. More test flying isscheduled at Horseheads and SikorskyWest Palm Beach before the X2 makes arun at setting a new helicopter speedrecord late this year. The current record,216 knots/249 mph, was set in 1986 by a

heavily modified Westland Lynx.The fly-by-wire X2 is designed to have

a maximum forward speed of 250 to 265knots. Power for the 6,500-pound (mtow)X2 comes from a single LHTEC T800 tur-boshaft engine rated at up to 1,680 shp.

The T800 drives the twin four-bladeEagle Aviation contra-rotating coaxial mainrotors and the Aero Composites six-bladepusher propeller/propulsor mounted at theend of the tail boom. The propulsor was notengaged during the X2’s initial flight.

Urban AeronauticsX-Hawk

Israel-based Urban Aeronautics is devel-oping the X-Hawk, an unconventionalrotorcraft featuring two shrouded mainrotors in tandem configuration. An electri-cally powered demonstrator first flew inFebruary 2008 and began forward flight-test-ing in July. Its mtow is close to 30 pounds.

The first flight of the bigger Mule, a“logistics support” UAV, has been delayed

from late last year to April this year. Finalassembly is planned to be completed thismonth. The engine will be a TurbomecaArriel 1D1. The two six-foot-diameter liftrotors each have five blades. One versionof the Mule, still in the wind-tunnel testphase, targets speeds of 200 to 250 knots.In the future, the Mule could also spawn amanned variant.

The two rotors are located fore and aft ofthe cabin. Two smaller shrouded rotors act asthrusters. Its architecture, with its shroudedrotors, enables it to fly in a city without thedangers usually associated with open rotors.The design allows operation up to the side ofa building. Its main drawback is fuel burn,much higher than that of a helicopter. o

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NEWROTORCRAFTuContinued from page 34

Sikorsky X2 technology demonstrator

Urban Aeronautics X-Hawk

Borescopes-R-Us is showcasing its newportable videoscope in Booth No. 3419.The lightweight, handheld product is de-signed to facilitate visual inspections in hard-to-reach places in both engines andairframes. The new videoscope is availablein 4-mm, 6-mm and 8-mm diameters and in-cludes a full-color camera, adjustable light-ing and 3.5-inch LCD monitor. Prices start at$4,995. Company representatives will alsobe on hand to discuss its borescope repairservices. Visitors who drop by the booth cansubmit their business cards to for a chanceto win gifts and product discounts. v

AT THE BOOTHS