Leonardo was honoured to recently host Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum at its US helicopter headquarters in Philadelphia, providing her the opportunity to personally test the AW609, the world's first tiltrotor set to receive civil certification.

“Leonardo was honoured to host Her Highness, providing this one-of-a-kind experience on the world's first tiltrotor set to achieve civil certification,” says Leonardo US managing director William Hunt. “Demonstrating the AW609's combined fixed and rotary winged piloting capabilities was a true milestone for the team in Philadelphia.”

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum was the first woman to pilot the AW609, setting a new and important milestone for female pilots in civil aviation.

“Piloting the AW609 has been on my bucket list since I first saw the early prototype images. It is the natural evolution of my piloting experience, merging both fixed and rotary winged piloting skills. I am still pinching myself about this opportunity. Aircraft like this one make me feel really excited about the future of aviation, a future now open to more women who chose this industry.”

The AW609 will revolutionise point to point transport. The tiltrotor can take off and land vertically and hover like a helicopter, and offers passengers the comfort of a turboprop aircraft. Able to operate different kind of missions, including VIP transport, emergency medical service, search and rescue, and government applications, the AW609 can fly at a speed of more than 500 km/h with a range of almost 1,400 km.