The pre-production civil-utility variant of the EH101, has made its first transatlantic crossing. GKN Westland helicopters' new Anglo-Italian helicopter left its base in Aberdeen, Scotland, on August 30, and made landfall off Nunavut in north west Canada two days later.\r"The whole flight was uneventful from a pilot's point of view, although the scenery - and in some parts of the journey, the weather - was somewhat more dramatic than a typical days flying over the south west of England," said Jerry Tracy, GKN Westland's deputy chief test pilot. "The most remarkable thing about the journey was that it was so unremarkable." No special preparations were taken for the 2,500 mile flight which was undertaken at a steady 150 knots and at heights ranging from 300 to 10,000 feet. The aircraft ran on standard tanks in temperatures which fell as low as -17 degrees centigrade. Fuel stops were made at Vagar in the Faeroes, Reykjavic in Iceland and Kulusuk, Narssarssuaq and Godthab in Greenland. \r"The EH101 is achieving levels of reliability and maintainability far higher than older in-service helicopters and PP-9 (the pre-production variant) demonstrated the same levels of reliability during this flight," reported Jerry Tracy. PP-9 is one of two aircraft that are undertaking a 6,000 flying hour intensive flight operations programme to prove the aircraft's mettle. Typically the helicopters fly for six hours a day, six days a week, and PP-9 will continue this schedule whilst in Canada. The aircraft attended the Nova Scotia international air show on September 11-12, and will be visiting Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa before returning to the UK at the end of the month. EH101 is in full production in Italy and the UK and has now entered service with the British Royal Navy. It will be delivered to the armed forces of Canada, Italy and the UK over the next two years.