The construction of Bell/Agusta’s second BA609 is under way. The aircraft, serial number

002, is being constructed at AgustaWestland’s facility in Italy. It is due to fly before the end of

this year.

The first test model of the civil tiltrotor aircraft resumed flight testing in June at Bell Helicopter’s Arlington, Texas facility.

Its flight on June 3 was its first since 2003, following a series of engineering and high speed ground testing successes.

Bell reports that during the flight, the BA609 reached speeds up to 86 knots with a 75 degree tilt on the outboard nacelles.

The next phase of testing will include the conversion from helicopter to ‘aeroplane’ mode.

The third BA609 will undertake icing and other certification tests and serial number 004 will be used to develop avionics. Once in production, the aircraft will feature the Collins ProLine 21 3-screen

display glass cockpit, and will be certified for IFR flight in known icing conditions.

Bell/Agusta states that it has received about 60 initial orders for the six- to nine-passenger tiltrotor aircraft. The aircraft is expected to reach speed of up to 275 knots with a range of 700nm.