Paris Air Show
Aerospace |
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Bell Boeing
Has 21 Customers Signed Up For The Commerial Tiltrotor
Paris (June 16, 1997) -- Bell Boeing announced at the Paris Air Show that they have 21 customer commitments for the purchase of the new Bell Boeing 609, just seven months after launching the program. The 21 customers have committed to 29 aircraft, with first deliveries slated for delivery in 2001. Estimated value of the orders to-date is $265 million. The aircraft is displayed in mockup form at this year's show.
Bell Boeing says the 609 will have lower operating costs than helicopters with improved passenger comfort. The aircraft also gives fixed wing operators the capabilities of turboprop, without requiring a runway. The 609 is designed to meet the needs of civil missions, including disaster relief, search and rescue and government support roles. In November 1997, Bell Helicopter/Textron and Boeing, developers of the aircraft, announced they had formed a joint venture to design, build, sell and support a commercial version of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor. Long favored as "dual-use," tiltrotor technology combines the best of the both vertical flight and turboprop aircraft capabilities into one aircraft.
The Bell Boeing 609 will cruise at 272 knots with a maximum unfueled range of 750 nautical miles (1,000 with auxiliary fuel tanks.) Its pressurized cabin can seat up to nine passengers and a crew of two. Its useful load is 5,500 pounds. The 609 is all-weather capable and can fly into known moderate icy conditions. According to Bell Boeing, the 609 offers certain advantages over other
forms of vertical flight. Tiltrotors offer unique flexibility, increased
productivity, lower operating costs and can replace mixed fleets of helicopters
and fixed wing aircraft with only one aircraft. Completion of the first
four aircraft prototypes will take place in 1998 with first flight in 1999
and certification by the Federal Aviation Administration and first delivery
in 2001. |
One of the customers
even came to the Air Show for the announcement. Sheikh Sultan Moaohamed
Mejren, Managing Director of Al Baraha Land Group of United Arab Emirates
will take delivery of the first 609 in the Middle East. The Sheikh plans
to own a fleet of 609s, operating them for use in the oil fields, VIP transportation
and other civil aircraft applications such as search and rescue. Both the
Sheikh and the chief pilot of the organization that will operate the aircraft
for him believe that the 609 is perfect for the region. The Bell Boeing
tiltrotor can travel around the entire Gulf region in 1 1/2 hours and doesn't
require the typical infrastructure of other support aircraft. Dubai also
has a heliport in the heart of the city, and currently does not have restrictions
on rotorcraft that are prevalent in many cities.
The Bell Boeing
609, a 21st century aircraft that combines the takeoff, hover and landing
qualities of a helicopter with the high speed, range and efficiency of a
turboprop aircraft, will change aviation's support of a variety of business
and civil functions. The Bell Boeing 609 is the a versatile tiltroter that
will give offshore resource development, emergency medical services and
corporate helicopter operators greatly improved performance including speeds
twice as fast and ranges twice as far as current helicopters.
