The first AW189 took its maiden flight on
December 21, 2011 from company’s facility in
Cascina Costa, Italy. Daniele Romiti, Chief
Executive Officer, AgustaWestland said “We are
proud to achieve this major milestone on
schedule. The start of full scale production
brings us closer to the first AW189 delivery
later this year and the when customers who
already operate the AW139 will start benefitting
from the Family advantage.”
A range of mission kits as well as the first
Level D Full Flight Simulator, to be based at
AgustaWestland’s Sesto Calende Training Academy
in Italy, the company will obtain certification
and become available immediately after type
certification, reducing the time for customers
to get crews and aircraft operationally ready. The
AW189 is unique in having a 50 minute ‘run-dry’
capable main gear box, exceeding current
certification standards and offering unmatched
safety and reliability for long range offshore
operations.
The AW189 is part of the AgustaWestland Family
of new generation helicopters that includes the
AW139 and AW169 models. These all possess the
same high performance flight characteristics and
safety features as well as share a common
cockpit layout, design philosophy and
maintenance concept. This commonality will allow
more effective operations for customers
operating helicopter fleets across the 4 to 8.5
ton categories.
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