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January 28, 2023

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On the Horizon: New Aircraft Feature Fresh Tech and Capabilities

by Mark Huber

 - January 3, 2023, 8:04 AM

 

Bell’s fly-by-wire 525 is the largest civil helicopter the company has ever built, designed to serve new medium twin markets.

 

OEMs have a variety of new business aircraft models—from helicopters to long-range jets—under development and coming to market soon. They are bringing to market a range of technological advancements that hold the promise of greater range, efficiency, safety, and passenger comfort.

HELICOPTERS

Bell 525 

Announced in 2012 and currently nearing certification, the 525 is the most ambitious project to emerge from Bell since it started making V-22 “Osprey” tilt rotors with Boeing for the U.S. military. With the 525, Bell wasn’t just going after medium twin helicopters like the wildly popular AgustaWestland AW139 or the large Sikorsky S-92 favored by heads of state for VVIP conveyance; it created a new category between the two and is going after both markets. Bell designed the 525 to be cost-competitive for any mission between 50 and 500 nm that either of these other helicopters currently performs. This is the largest civil helicopter that Bell has ever built. It has an all-composite, five-blade main rotor system with a diameter of 54.5 feet.

The 525 is comparatively fast with a top speed of 155 knots. It’s aerodynamically slick and features computerized fly-by-wire controls and touchscreen Garmin G5000H avionics. Gone are the traditional cyclic sticks between the pilots’ legs. The cockpit has sidestick controls and a decidedly futuristic feel. The pilots’ seats swivel into position for ease of egress. Ahead of them is a low-slung digital instrument panel and an enormous field of Plexiglas that affords superb visibility over the nose and down to the ground. 

Entry to the 525’s 4.5-foot-tall cabin is through a pair of hinged doors located between the cockpit and the first of four seating areas or through two large aft sliding doors. Passengers enjoy 88 sq ft of floor space and a 128-cubic-foot baggage hold—bigger than what you’ll find on most corporate jets. VIP cabin layouts are expected to seat eight to 12 passengers and to

 

Hill HX50

Hill HX50

Hill unveiled the five-seat HX50 turbine-single helicopter in August 2020. It plans to initially offer it as an amateur-built aircraft in 2023, with a certified Part 27 version—the HC50—following in 2026. List price for the kit aircraft is $662,000. The design features an all-composite, three-blade main rotor, retractable landing gear, and ducted tail rotor. Performance targets include a 140-knot cruise speed and a maximum range of 700 nm.

Available interior features include in-seat electric heaters and air-conditioned seat ventilation, a refrigerated center console compartment beneath the armrest cushion to chill drinks and snacks, and a power supply for each passenger's tablet computer with audio streamed directly to passenger headsets. The audio is fully integrated with the digital cockpit and onboard audio system. Each passenger seat can be equipped to support rear-facing, forward-facing, and booster seats for children. 

In the flight deck, the avionics system can include synthetic vision, a traffic awareness system, weather data integration, an additional radio, a navigation radio and HSI, a radar altimeter, and ATC record and replay. All HX50 aircraft will be fitted with a standard two-axis attitude-based stability augmentation system and autopilot and can be upgraded to a four-axis autopilot. The HX50 can also be equipped with a pilot-operable folding blade system that replaces standard lag damper pins with interlocked quick-release pins, allowing the blades to pivot around the blade roots and orient over the tail boom. Safety interlocks prevent the aircraft from being operated with the blades unlocked.

A Helimove smart ground handling system uses electric drive units in the aircraft wheels to maneuver the aircraft on the ground after engine shutdown, from either within the helicopter or via a smartphone/tablet app. Similarly, a Home Base secure wireless link enables powered hangar doors to be opened or closed from within the aircraft. The aircraft can be ordered with landing skids as opposed to wheels and an emergency float system is fully integrated into flush-fitting pockets along the fuselage and inflate within 3 seconds of activation.

incorporate all the entertainment, information, and high-speed-connectivity equipment that you can find on the latest private jets. 

Leonardo’s AW609 tiltrotor is nearing certification following completion of final flight test tasks.

TILTROTORS

Leonardo AW609

Leonardo's first production AW609 civil tiltrotor made its initial flight on October 13 at the company’s Philadelphia facility. Designated AC5, the aircraft was one of three customer aircraft on the production line and will join the other three prototype AW609s currently in the “last stages” of flight test. Leonardo Philadelphia has been gearing up for the AW609’s entry into service, building a new training academy that includes an AW609 full-flight simulator and pilot and maintenance training coursework. 

The AW609 takes off and lands like a helicopter yet can achieve forward speeds of around 270 knots, on par with a fast turboprop airplane. It will likely transform personal and business travel between cities that are 700 to 1,100 nm apart. In many cases, it will be faster to make these trips with the AW609 than with a helicopter or private jet. The aircraft will be powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67A turboshafts and include Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics. 

Cabin size is on par with light jets and turboprops—height is 60 inches, width is 58 inches, and length is 13 feet, 5 inches. Finmeccanica gave the main cabin door a clamshell design and widened it to 35 inches, making the 609 more suitable for a medevac role. The VIP cabin features a small refreshment center followed by a club-four grouping and an aft belted lavatory while a less-plush corporate configuration incorporates six to seven seats. Customers will be able to select fabrics and colors, much as they would for a corporate jet.