Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

AgustaWestland is preparing to make a big splash in the executive helicopter market when deliveries of its new AW169 medium twin begin next year. The company already claims a 65-percent world market share in recent years for twins with VIP and executive interiors and it is counting on the new helicopter to add to it.


Lately, AgustaWestland has worked with leading fashion houses such as Lagerfeld and Versace for interiors on the AW109 GrandNew and AW139 and has a long-standing relationship with the Mecaer Aviation Group (MAG) for customized cabin interiors. To date, the OEM has sold 19 AW139s to corporate and VIP operators in North America. Worldwide, approximately 14 percent of the 800 AW139s sold are to corporate or VIP operators, the company said.


AgustaWestland hopes to make an even bigger splash in these markets with the AW169. Earlier this year it held a contest to develop a new aircraft interior, selecting the Stream interior designed by Studio Lanzavecchia and Wai. The 222-cu-ft passenger cabin can accommodate eight to 10 people in utility configuration, eight in an executive design or six to seven in an extremely plush layout. AgustaWestland also has partnered with Custom Control Concepts to install SkyOne in-flight entertainment in the aircraft. The system displays real-time flight status and navigation information for the passengers and provides 12 Ethernet ports throughout the cabin that offer connection to any combination of displays and switch panels for connectivity for custom device options such as HD video, stereo audio, video recording, satellite communications, cameras, lighting and window shade control.


The AW169 is powered by two 1,000-shp-class Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PW210A turboshafts. The Rockwell Collins glass-panel avionics suite provides three ten- by eight-inch displays mated to touchscreen controls with capabilities such as night-vision-goggle compatibility, a four-axis digital automatic flight-control system and a dual flight-management system, digital maps, weather radar, satcom, traffic and ­terrain avoidance, dual radar altimeters, ADS-B, enhanced vision and a health and usage monitoring system (Hums). The 169 also features IFR LPV (instrument flight rules, localizer performance with vertical guidance) capability and a terrain-awareness warning system (H-Taws). AgustaWestland will offer its optional full icing protection system and expects the helicopter to be certified for single-pilot IFR operations. Maximum speed is 155 knots; range with full fuel and 30-minute reserve is 366 nm; and maximum useful load (passengers, bags and fuel) is 4,350 pounds.


AgustaWestland forecasts sales of 900 to 1,000 AW169s over the next 20 years. Assembly of the helicopter for North and South American markets is expected to begin at the company’s Philadelphia plant next year.

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