A grand impression

Despite the extra cabin space, the length of the Grand with rotors running is actually shorter than that of the Power, as its titanium rotor head is smaller in diameter than that of earlier versions of the AW109, and the rotor blades are smaller. This is primarily to reduce noise and weight, and is possible due to the use of newer materials than in earlier designs.

Indeed, most of the changes in the Grand have been designed to reduce weight and thereby increase payload, cut back on noise, and generally make the helicopter more aerodynamically efficient.

Swept tips on the rotor blades, winglets on the horizontal stabiliser, and the redesigned tail rotor made of composites, are all designed with aerodynamic efficiency in mind – and also add to the modern and stylish look of the Grand.

Other points I noticed during my walkaround were that the wheels were much larger than those of the AW109A, and the nose was also a little longer. And the baggage compartment was massive. It was a full 2. 3m in length, the same as the cabin, and could take 150kg in weight.

Our test machine featured the ‘3-Cell’ fuel system, which meant that it could carry450kg of useable fuel, enough for nearly three hours flying. It is also possible to have a ‘5-Cell’ version, which would hold almost an extra 200kg and allow over four hours of flight. (Though of course you wouldn’t be able to take a full load of passengers, jam the luggage compartment full, and take over 600kg of fuel, any more than you can do the equivalent in any other type. ) A full tank of fuel will get you an awful long way in a Grand. The AW109 has long been the fastest civilian helicopter, and it still holds that record, with a VNE of a mind-boggling 168kt…mind-boggling for a helicopter, at least. In fact, in August 18 2008 a Grand broke the helicopter roundthe- world speed record. However, most aircraft rarely cruise at anything close to their maximum speed. But, according to my guide Lawrence Linskey (head of operations and chief pilot for UK AgustaWestland rep, Sloane Helicopters), the Grand could reach 150kt easily, and even more.

I was definitely looking forward to trying this out, and it was time we went flying.

Climbing aboard the Grand is more difficult for a person of shorter stature like myself than is the case in the A109A (which I have flown before), since the wheels are larger, so it sits higher above the ground. There is no step – you simply have to climb in, and this was a bit of a scramble for me.

However, once seated I found that the cabin was wide and comfortable, as were the seats. The convex doors provided even more space, and they could be easily opened and closed with assistance from a gas strut. The doors could also be jettisoned in the event of an emergency, as could the large back windows. Both the seat and the yaw pedals move, so it is possible to adjust them for any size of pilot. This is very useful, as if only one of these adjusts I often find that the cyclic is in an awkward position for comfort during a long flight.

The four point harness fastened easily, and the controls all fell easily to hand.

I sat and studied the massive instrument panel, which took up almost the whole of the front windscreen. Once I began to familiarise myself with the cockpit layout, I realised that it was not all that complicated.

On both sides were the familiar analogue instruments – clock, ASI, altimeter, AI, etc (slightly larger on the right hand side).

There were various switches for the engines, and radios and transponders, as one would expect. And the rest of the instrument panel was full of screens. On our test machine there were two GPS units, an HSI, and two multifunction screens where you could scroll through various screens which monitored all the engine parameters and some other information, telling you about fuel content, OAT, engine oil temperature and pressure, and so on. There were also a number of switches and buttons on the cyclic and collective, as you find in most large helicopters.

Lawrence now joined me, handed me one of the comfortable noise cancelling Bose headsets, and began the startup. This was simple, since pretty much all you have to do after the necessary pre-start checks is switch on each engine – then the FADEC takes over and does it all for you. Of course, the pilot needs to monitor the system to make sure nothing goes wrong, and Lawrence assured me that ‘hot starts’ were still possible. Still, a five year old child could probably start a Grand…though that might not really be a good idea! To taxi a wheeled helicopter like the Grand, you raise the collective a little, then push the cyclic forward. If you wish, you can hover-taxi in the same way as any helicopter with a skid undercarriage, but you don’t have to. In this case we did a little hovering for the benefit of the photographer, then transitioned away and started to climb.

I say ‘started to climb’, but we were at 1000ft or so in the blink of an eye, or that was how it felt. I knew that the Grand had a climb rate of nearly 2000ft/min, but with only two people onboard it felt even faster than that. Once at a sensible height we settled into a comfortable cruise…at around 150kt. Wow! I glanced at the dials, and realised that we were pulling less than 60 per cent torque, which meant that we had oodles of power to spare. With a little urging from Lawrence, I pushed the cyclic forward and pulled in a little more power, and without being close to any kind of limit we were soon at 155kt. And still the ride was totally smooth and comfortable, even on a rather breezy, showery day. I could see thatthis helicopter would be very useful if you wanted to go places fast.

One thing I noticed was that at this speed the cyclic position was well forward, and I had my arm in quite an uncomfortable, stretched out position. If I flew the Grand again I think I’d leave the pedals and move the seat further forward. But you find out this kind of thing with practice, of course. I also noticed that the Grand seemed to be a little quieter than older 109 models – I removed my headset to check – so maybe those swept rotor blade tips do indeed make a difference.

We now had a look at some manoeuvres.

Although, to be honest, you don’t so much manoeuvre the Grand as fiddle with the dials. You can put on the autopilot, then adjust the bug on the HSI to turn and fly in whatever direction you want. There’s little to do in this way except adjust the pedals to keep the helicopter flying in balance, and quite a lot of pedal work seemed to be required, as this is a fast, slippery, and responsive helicopter. I had a go at flying it without the autopilot, just using the trim button on the cyclic, and although it isn’t a difficult helicopter to fly, the speed and flexibility mean that you do need to know what you’re doing – and I was grateful for the high hours instructor sitting next to me.

Back at the airfield, Lawrence demonstrated the Grand’s (Category A) ability to takeoff and land vertically during a simulated engine failure (most twin engined helicopters can fly on one engine, but they cannot hover). With its reduced weight and extra power, the Grand has the ability to hover with only one engine, which means that you can simply descend and land directly below you, without lowering the nose at all. Doing this could be very useful, particularly in many really congested areas.

I then investigated the Grand’s performance in the hover and when doing some spot turns. Both were slightly awkward due to the lack of forward visibility, but it was not a major problem. The lack of vision forward was exacerbated by the fact that the airtest machine hovered very nose high, so being short, I could hardly see over the instrument panel at all! In fact, with its nose high – and therefore tail low, and a very long tail at that – position, and a very low stinger beneath the tail, you do have to be very careful of any low level manoeuvres in the Grand, and quickstops are best done a little higher than you normally would.

After that there wasn’t much left to do.

With two engines, and the ability to hover on one, plus two hydraulics systems, so that hydraulics-off training is unnecessary, there’s very little in the way of emergency procedures that need to be practiced.

Indeed, there’s not much that can go wrong in this helicopter, unless the pilot does something incredibly stupid.

I was thoroughly enjoying flying the Grand, but I couldn’t think of a good reason why this flight test needed to be prolonged. It was time to say goodbye to what I found to be a very impressive performing helicopter.

Agustawestland
Aw109s Grand
Technical specifications
Powerplants
Two Pratt & Whitney PW207C
turboshafts with FADEC, producing
960shp (716kW) each, driving a
four blade main rotor and two blade
tail rotor
Performance
Max cruise 155kt
Recommended cruise 135kt
Rate of climb 1830ft/min
Hover ceiling IGE 16,600ft
Hover ceiling OGE 11,800ft
Service ceiling 20,000ft
Weights
Empty 1655kg
Max AUW 3175kg
Useful load 1520kg
Dimensions
Length 12.96m
Height 3.44m
Main rotor diameter 10.83m
Tail rotor diameter 1.94m
Manufacturer
AgustaWestland
www.agustawestland.com
Australian agent
Heliflite
121 Link Rd, Bankstown Airport,
NSW 2200.
Tel: 02 9766 0200
Fax: 02 9766 0222
www.heliflite.com.au