The AgustaWestland AW609: Commercial Tiltrotor Operations in the Civil Aviation Environment

The AgustaWestland AW609 is a nine-passenger civil tiltrotor aircraft capable of both vertical takeoff and landing and cruising at 25,000 feet above sea level at 250+ knots true airspeed. The AW609 will be the first tiltrotor aircraft to be FAA type certificated for use as a passenger and emergency medical aircraft. This paper will outline how the AW609 will integrate into the existing aviation infrastructure including a description of the applicable airworthiness and operational standards for the world's first commercial tiltrotor. It will discuss how its point to point ability has the potential to reduce the cost, time and complexity of air travel while reducing air traffic density and how that same ability will increase aeromedical efficiency in both the air ambulance and organ transfer fields. It will also address existing airspace structure improvements that would allow the user community to utilize tiltrotor technology to maximum advantage.