June 6 – At the Montreal headquarters of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), AgustaWestland, an Italian Finmeccanica Group company, presented AW609 tilt rotor project. “The AW609 tiltrotor – said in a statement ENAC, the Civil Aviation Authority – is an aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like an airplane. It has the ability to fly at twice the speed of a helicopter at an altitude that allows it to overcome the geographical and weather conditions limitations that normally affect the performance of rotary-wing machines.” In particular, the characteristics of the machine, whose certification is expected in 2017, were laid out to the Commission for Air Navigation, ICAO’s technical body, which examines proposals for amending Annexes and other documents that regulate the activities of international civil aviation. At the conclusion of the presentation, AgustaWestland, supported by the Italian representative to ICAO, asked for the organization and modification of certain annexes to enable the integration of dual flight mode, as there are yet no specific rules for the regulation of an operational tilt rotor. ENAC will therefore collaborate with the ICAO to see that the necessary amendments dealing with the matter are made; subsequently it will carry out its duties relating to the control and surveillance in the production phase. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in the U.S. will be the authority of reference for the AW609 program in order to obtain initial certification. The Director General of ENAC, Alessio Quaranta, commented on the presentation: “The design and construction of this new aircraft is definitely a source of pride for the Italian aeronautic, as it represents a significant step in the evolution of air transport. ENAC will work alongside AgustaWestland at the ICAO, following closely the regulatory pathway designed to make the changes of the ICAO Annexes. We will also oversee the production phase.”
