VERTICON TAKES OFF
HEAR more about the H140
available in the light single-engine helicopter market, Smith emphasized, with a highly reconfigurable flat cabin, high skids, a truck tailgate–like back door for ease of loading, a data recording system, an onboard health and usage moni- toring system, dual hydraulics, and certification for optional single-pilot IFR operations. Other standard features include air-conditioning, an inlet barrier filter, impact-resistant wind- shields, and adjustable seats. The first R88 could fly as soon as the end of 2025. Smith
anticipates type certification between two and a half and four years from that first flight. Robinson wouldn’t specify how many orders it received
for the R88 at VERTICON, but the OEM did gain 120 firm orders for aircraft, with the vast majority being for the R88, it noted.
Airbus Expands Light Twin Product Line Airbus Helicopters launched its light twin-engine H140 at VERTICON during the first day of exhibits. Built off the H135 with key elements of the popular H145, the new aircraft was designed to meet customer demands for improved performance, a larger cabin, and increased comfort, Airbus announced at the unveiling. The H140 features the H145’s bearingless, five-blade
main-rotor system, situated 4 inches higher than the H135’s for increased clearance, making room for the 10-inch–larger clamshell doors compared with the H135, a common request from the air ambulance sector for patient loading. The cabin is 37 cu. ft. larger than the H135’s, allowing for a more com- fortable six-passenger configuration, and features larger windows for increased visibility. The H140 also sports a refined Fenestron tail for improved
performance, with a T-tail horizontal stabilizer at the top. The design change, according to Airbus, is intended to move the stabilizer away from the main-rotor downwash for better hover performance. The onboard FADEC-equipped Safran Arrius 2E engines
allow the H140 to produce the increased hot and high perfor- mance demanded for European air ambulance operations, in addition to sizable power reserves in situations where one engine is inoperative, compared with the abilities of the Arrius 2B2Plus engines in the H135. Flight testing for the H140 began in June 2023, and
Airbus hopes to achieve European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification in 2028, with FAA validation taking place the following year. The H140 brings Airbus Helicopters’ light twin product line to three aircraft. The company is adamant that increased
40
POWER UP JUN 2025
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
