98-575: The AgustaWestland AW139 , now known as the Leonardo AW139 , is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland , now part of Leonardo . It is marketed at several different roles, including VIP/corporate transport, military use, offshore transport, firefighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical service, disaster relief, and maritime patrol. The AW139
196-616: A runway . In 1942, the Sikorsky R-4 became the first helicopter to reach full-scale production . Although most earlier designs used more than one main rotor, the configuration of a single main rotor accompanied by a vertical anti-torque tail rotor (i.e. unicopter , not to be confused with the single-blade monocopter ) has become the most common helicopter configuration. However, twin-rotor helicopters (bicopters), in either tandem or transverse rotors configurations, are sometimes in use due to their greater payload capacity than
294-428: A titanium hub and composite blades and a four-bladed articulated tail rotor. It is fitted with retractable tricycle landing gear , the two aft wheels retracting into external sponsons which are also used to house emergency equipment. It is flown by a crew of two pilots, with up to 15 passengers accommodated in three rows of five. The AW139 had been aimed at a vacant niche in the market, sitting below larger types such as
392-673: A Certificate of Approval from the Aviation Register of the Interstate Aviation Committee to begin production of commercial AW139s. In September 2014, a certificate was granted to perform comprehensive maintenance and servicing of the type at the Tomilino facility. During 2015, AgustaWestland unveiled an AW139 model with an increased gross weight of seven tonnes , enabling a range of 305 km while carrying 12 passengers. Existing AW139s can be rebuilt to
490-444: A collective input is made, all the blades change equally, and the result is the helicopter increasing or decreasing in altitude. A swashplate controls the collective and cyclic pitch of the main blades. The swashplate moves up and down, along the main shaft, to change the pitch of both blades. This causes the helicopter to push air downward or upward, depending on the angle of attack . The swashplate can also change its angle to move
588-417: A constant altitude. The pedals serve the same function in both a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft, to maintain balanced flight. This is done by applying a pedal input in whichever direction is necessary to center the ball in the turn and bank indicator . Due to the operating characteristics of the helicopter—its ability to take off and land vertically, and to hover for extended periods of time, as well as
686-478: A few more flights and achieved a height of nearly 2.0 metres (6.5 ft), but it proved to be unstable and was abandoned. AgustaWestland AW149 The AgustaWestland AW149 is a medium-lift multi-role military helicopter developed by AgustaWestland , now Leonardo , launched in 2006 and had its first flight in 2009. By 2014 it had received military flight certification, and it went on to enter production going into military service with Egypt and Thailand. It
784-401: A full ice protection system for all-weather operations. The AW139 serves as the basis for AgustaWestland's wider business strategy, under which it aims to produce a standardised family of helicopters with common design features. The sharing of components and design philosophies is intended to simplify maintenance and training for operators. Commonality also lowers the production costs. The AW139
882-463: A gift by their father, would inspire the Wright brothers to pursue the dream of flight. In 1861, the word "helicopter" was coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt , a French inventor who demonstrated a small steam-powered model. While celebrated as an innovative use of a new metal, aluminum, the model never lifted off the ground. D'Amecourt's linguistic contribution would survive to eventually describe
980-454: A greater cargo volume and payload carrying ability. On 13 November 2009, the first prototype conducted its first flight from AgustaWestland's Vergiate manufacturing facility in northern Italy . On 26 February 2011, the second prototype, the first with production model engines, made its first flight from Vergiate. On 20 June 2011 AgustaWestland announced the AW189 , a civilian development of
1078-405: A helicopter determines the size, function and capability of that helicopter design. The earliest helicopter engines were simple mechanical devices, such as rubber bands or spindles, which relegated the size of helicopters to toys and small models. For a half century before the first airplane flight, steam engines were used to forward the development of the understanding of helicopter aerodynamics, but
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#17327905934791176-510: A helicopter powered by a gasoline engine with box kites attached to a mast by cables for a rotor, but it never flew. In 1906, two French brothers, Jacques and Louis Breguet , began experimenting with airfoils for helicopters. In 1907, those experiments resulted in the Gyroplane No.1 , possibly as the earliest known example of a quadcopter. Although there is some uncertainty about the date, sometime between 14 August and 29 September 1907,
1274-416: A helicopter. This is because a helicopter generates its own gusty air while in a hover, which acts against the fuselage and flight control surfaces. The result is constant control inputs and corrections by the pilot to keep the helicopter where it is required to be. Despite the complexity of the task, the control inputs in a hover are simple. The cyclic is used to eliminate drift in the horizontal plane, that
1372-589: A joint venture between AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters , which has established a production line inside Russia for the type. Having performed its maiden flight on 3 February 2001, the AW139 entered revenue service in 2003 and quickly proved itself to be a commercial success. Many AW139 customers have been in the civilian sector. Large fleets have been obtained by operators such as CHC Helicopter , Gulf Helicopters , and Weststar Aviation . Its performance has enabled it to become popular amongst operators supporting
1470-586: A joint venture, Bell/Agusta Aerospace Company (BAAC), to develop two aircraft: a conventional helicopter and a tiltrotor aircraft. These became the Bell/Agusta AB139 and Bell/Agusta BA609 respectively. Bell was to be the leading partner for the development of the BA609 while Agusta would be the lead partner for the AB139. It was intended for production, sales, and support to be shared. In September 2000,
1568-599: A multi-year contract to support oil and gas extraction activities in Malaysia . In 2021, following the retirement of the Royal Malaysian Air Force 's Sikorsky S-61 fleet, the service leased four AW139s as an interim replacement. Qatar -based firm Gulf Helicopters has become one of the largest AW139 operators worldwide, first ordering the type in 2007 for offshore transport duties. It has since become an authorized service center and training center for
1666-477: A process of rebracketing , the word is often (erroneously, from an etymological point of view) perceived by English speakers as consisting of heli- and -copter , leading to words like helipad and quadcopter . English language nicknames for "helicopter" include "chopper", "copter", "heli", and "whirlybird". In the United States military, the common slang is "helo" pronounced /ˈhiː.loʊ/. A helicopter
1764-494: A rotor. The spinning creates lift, and the toy flies when released. The 4th-century AD Daoist book Baopuzi by Ge Hong ( 抱朴子 "Master who Embraces Simplicity") reportedly describes some of the ideas inherent to rotary wing aircraft. Designs similar to the Chinese helicopter toy appeared in some Renaissance paintings and other works. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Western scientists developed flying machines based on
1862-441: A single main rotor, but torque created by its aerodynamic drag must be countered by an opposed torque. The design that Igor Sikorsky settled on for his VS-300 was a smaller tail rotor. The tail rotor pushes or pulls against the tail to counter the torque effect, and this has become the most common configuration for helicopter design, usually at the end of a tail boom . Some helicopters use other anti-torque controls instead of
1960-612: A single-engine failure without noticeable deviation. It was constructed with maintenance requirements in mind. Critical systems can be readily accessed, where possible the number of parts has been reduced, and many components have been designed for an extended lifecycle. A Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) is equipped. More than a thousand customizable items of equipment can be configured per customer demand, including auxiliary fuel tanks, rescue hoists, cargo hooks, search and weather radar, ice protection systems, external cameras and searchlights, and seating arrangements. The AW139 cockpit
2058-417: A state called translational lift which provides extra lift without increasing power. This state, most typically, occurs when the airspeed reaches approximately 16–24 knots (30–44 km/h; 18–28 mph), and may be necessary for a helicopter to obtain flight. In forward flight a helicopter's flight controls behave more like those of a fixed-wing aircraft. Applying forward pressure on the cyclic will cause
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#17327905934792156-557: A third final manufacturing plant in Tomilino , Moscow operated by HeliVert. The Irish Air Corps was the first military operator to introduce the AW139. It took delivery of the first of a batch of six rotorcraft during August 2006. The United Arab Emirates Air Force and the Qatar Air Force became the second and third military operators of the AW139, procuring 9 and 18 rotorcraft respectively. A specialised military variant,
2254-636: A total of 770 AW139s had been produced. In May 2016, AgustaWestland parent Leonardo-Finmeccanica announced that Pakistan had signed a contract for an undisclosed number of AW139s as part of a fleet renewal programme spread over several batches, including a logistic support and training package, to perform search and rescue (SAR) operations across the country. At the time of the announcement, a total of 11 AW139s were already in service in Pakistan, five of which were being operated for government relief and general transportation duties. Chinese operators have imported
2352-429: Is a cylindrical metal shaft that extends upwards from the transmission. At the top of the mast is the attachment point for the rotor blades called the hub. Main rotor systems are classified according to how the rotor blades are attached and move relative to the hub. There are three basic types: hingeless, fully articulated, and teetering; although some modern rotor systems use a combination of these. Most helicopters have
2450-460: Is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors . This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically , to hover , and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms of short take-off and landing ( STOL ) or short take-off and vertical landing ( STOVL ) aircraft cannot perform without
2548-452: Is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more horizontally-spinning rotors. By contrast the autogyro (or gyroplane) and gyrodyne have a free-spinning rotor for all or part of the flight envelope, relying on a separate thrust system to propel the craft forwards, so that the airflow sets the rotor spinning to provide lift. The compound helicopter also has a separate thrust system, but continues to supply power to
2646-530: Is also planned for Poland with a new PZL-Swidnik production line there that opened in 2024, and North Macedonia has a pending order. The aircraft the only contender for the British NMH procurement program in the 2020s. The AW149 began life as an all-new, military design. It was unveiled at the 2006 Farnborough Air Show , with a larger fuselage and more powerful engines compared to the AW139 , resulting in
2744-433: Is based on the modular Honeywell Primus EPIC avionics system incorporating a four LCD screen glass cockpit . Although an option on early models, most aircraft include a four-axis autopilot, which allows higher levels of automation and safety and enables advanced functions such as auto-hover. This level of automation has allowed certification for single-pilot operations under instrument flight rules conditions (SPIFR), and
2842-452: Is called an aerial crane . Aerial cranes are used to place heavy equipment, like radio transmission towers and large air conditioning units, on the tops of tall buildings, or when an item must be raised up in a remote area, such as a radio tower raised on the top of a hill or mountain. Helicopters are used as aerial cranes in the logging industry to lift trees out of terrain where vehicles cannot travel and where environmental concerns prohibit
2940-547: Is equipped to stabilize and provide limited medical treatment to a patient while in flight. The use of helicopters as air ambulances is often referred to as " MEDEVAC ", and patients are referred to as being "airlifted", or "medevaced". This use was pioneered in the Korean War , when time to reach a medical facility was reduced to three hours from the eight hours needed in World War II , and further reduced to two hours by
3038-678: Is the Sud-Ouest Djinn , and an example of the hot tip jet helicopter is the YH-32 Hornet . Some radio-controlled helicopters and smaller, helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles , use electric motors or motorcycle engines. Radio-controlled helicopters may also have piston engines that use fuels other than gasoline, such as nitromethane . Some turbine engines commonly used in helicopters can also use biodiesel instead of jet fuel. There are also human-powered helicopters . A helicopter has four flight control inputs. These are
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3136-615: Is the first export customer. The Italian Air Force considered it as a search and rescue helicopter, but chose the lighter AW139M instead. In April 2019, the Egyptian Navy ordered 24 AW149s with option for 10 more; first deliveries took place in late 2020. AgustaWestland submitted a version of the AW149, designated TUHP149 , as a candidate for the Turkish Utility Helicopter Program (TUHP) for
3234-411: Is to control forward and back, right and left. The collective is used to maintain altitude. The pedals are used to control nose direction or heading . It is the interaction of these controls that makes hovering so difficult, since an adjustment in any one control requires an adjustment of the other two, creating a cycle of constant correction. As a helicopter moves from hover to forward flight it enters
3332-531: Is used to stow equipment to keep the main cabin clear for use. Large sections of the AW139 have been developed and produced by a range of different companies. Airframes are typically produced by PZL-Świdnik , who delivered their 200th airframe in April 2014. Pratt & Whitney Canada produce the type's PT6C turboshaft engines. The primary and secondary transmissions were developed by Westland GKN and Kawasaki Heavy Industries respectively. A significant portion of
3430-525: The AW149 , an enlarged medium-lift military orientated rotorcraft. In 1997, the Italian helicopter manufacturer Agusta launched a programme to develop a replacement for the Bell Huey family of helicopters, which had been built in very large numbers by Bell Helicopter and under license by Agusta. A potential market of 900 aircraft was predicted. In 1998, Bell and Agusta entered into an agreement setting up
3528-572: The Bell 205 and the Erickson S-64 Aircrane helitanker. Helicopters are used as air ambulances for emergency medical assistance in situations when an ambulance cannot easily or quickly reach the scene, or cannot transport the patient to a medical facility in time. Helicopters are also used when patients need to be transported between medical facilities and air transportation is the most practical method. An air ambulance helicopter
3626-588: The Bell 206 with 3,400. Most were in North America with 34.3% then in Europe with 28.0% followed by Asia-Pacific with 18.6%, Latin America with 11.6%, Africa with 5.3% and Middle East with 1.7%. The earliest references for vertical flight came from China. Since around 400 BC, Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys (or Chinese top). This bamboo-copter is spun by rolling a stick attached to
3724-527: The Cornu helicopter which used two 6.1-metre (20 ft) counter-rotating rotors driven by a 24 hp (18 kW) Antoinette engine. On 13 November 1907, it lifted its inventor to 0.3 metres (1 ft) and remained aloft for 20 seconds. Even though this flight did not surpass the flight of the Gyroplane No. 1, it was reported to be the first truly free flight with a pilot. Cornu's helicopter completed
3822-514: The Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma and Sikorsky S-92 , and above smaller ones like the Bell 412 and Eurocopter EC155 . Rotor & Wing has described the AW139's flying attitude as 'docile and predictable'. The AW139 is powered by two FADEC -controlled Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C turboshaft engines. The FADEC system seamlessly adjusts the engines for pilot convenience and passenger comfort, and can automatically handle
3920-679: The Turkish Armed Forces . The programme sought an initial batch of 109 helicopters worth $ 4 billion, prospective follow-on orders for subsequent batches may eventually rise to 300 rotorcraft. On 21 April 2011, the Turkish defence minister announced that the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk had been selected as the winner. Leonardo has proposed the AW149 for the UK's New Medium Helicopter programme, which aims to replace
4018-728: The United States Air Force (USAF) announced that the MH-139, an AW139 variant, was the winner of a competition to replace the Vietnam-era Bell UH-1Ns . The service will buy up to 84 MH-139s. On 19 December 2019, the USAF received the first MH-139A Grey Wolf at Eglin Air Force Base . Flight testing began in 2020. Several rectifiable deficiencies were identified, such as the positioning of the gunner in
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4116-499: The Vietnam War . In naval service a prime function of rescue helicopters is to promptly retrieve downed aircrew involved in crashes occurring upon launch or recovery aboard aircraft carriers. In past years this function was performed by destroyers escorting the carrier, but since then helicopters have proved vastly more effective. Police departments and other law enforcement agencies use helicopters to pursue suspects and patrol
4214-593: The AW139 in Japan. In October 2006, the Japan Coast Guard announced the AW139 as the replacement for its Bell 212 search and rescue fleet. By early 2011, 18 AW139s were on order by the Japan Coast Guard through Mitsui Bussan as the distributor. A total of 24 are expected to be ordered. The Japanese National Police Agency placed multiple orders for the AW139. Other organisations in Japan have used
4312-421: The AW139 in the world, at that point operating a fleet of 44 in search and rescue, emergency medical service and offshore transport missions. In 2015, responsibility for the maintenance of CHC's AW139 fleet was reorganized under their maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO) division, Heli-One . Early activities have included post-delivery modifications and engine overhauls. Heli-One has endeavoured to expand
4410-792: The AW139. Malaysian operator Weststar Aviation is the biggest operator of the AW139 in the Asia Pacific region. By February 2014, the company had ordered 34 helicopters. Since taking delivery of their first AW139 in December 2010, Weststar has typically employed the type in support of offshore oil and gas operations. Numerous AW139s have been produced for operators in Russia, mainly via the HeliVert initiative. In September 2014, Exclases Russia ordered three in VIP configurations. During December 2021, it
4508-580: The AW139M, was launched, for which the Italian Air Force became the launch customer. Designated HH-139A in Italian service, the type has been primarily tasked with combat search and rescue (CSAR) operations. The Italian Coast Guard placed repeat orders for the type throughout the 2010s, ordering 12 AW139s by mid-2016. In February 2006, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace signed a $ 100 million contract for 12 AW139s and an exclusive distribution agreement for
4606-482: The AW149, for service in 2013. Military certification for the AW149 was announced by Finmeccanica at the 2014 Farnborough airshow. The landing gear can sustain a touchdown with a sink speed of 9.5 m/s, compared with the 2 m/s for a civilian helicopter. The AW149 is being marketed as an alternative to the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk family. Thailand has ordered 5 AW149 helicopters, and
4704-558: The Bambi bucket, are usually filled by submerging the bucket into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks. Tanks fitted onto helicopters are filled from a hose while the helicopter is on the ground or water is siphoned from lakes or reservoirs through a hanging snorkel as the helicopter hovers over the water source. Helitack helicopters are also used to deliver firefighters, who rappel down to inaccessible areas, and to resupply firefighters. Common firefighting helicopters include variants of
4802-762: The Chinese top in a model consisting of contrarotating turkey flight feathers as rotor blades, and in 1784, demonstrated it to the French Academy of Sciences . Sir George Cayley , influenced by a childhood fascination with the Chinese flying top, developed a model of feathers, similar to that of Launoy and Bienvenu, but powered by rubber bands. By the end of the century, he had progressed to using sheets of tin for rotor blades and springs for power. His writings on his experiments and models would become influential on future aviation pioneers. Alphonse Pénaud would later develop coaxial rotor model helicopter toys in 1870, also powered by rubber bands. One of these toys, given as
4900-478: The Chinese toy. It was not until the early 1480s, when Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci created a design for a machine that could be described as an " aerial screw ", that any recorded advancement was made towards vertical flight. His notes suggested that he built small flying models, but there were no indications for any provision to stop the rotor from making the craft rotate. As scientific knowledge increased and became more accepted, people continued to pursue
4998-453: The Gyroplane No. 1 lifted its pilot into the air about 0.6 metres (2 ft) for a minute. The Gyroplane No. 1 proved to be extremely unsteady and required a man at each corner of the airframe to hold it steady. For this reason, the flights of the Gyroplane No. 1 are considered to be the first manned flight of a helicopter, but not a free or untethered flight. That same year, fellow French inventor Paul Cornu designed and built
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#17327905934795096-571: The Martian atmosphere is 100 times thinner than Earth's, its two blades spin at close to 3,000 revolutions a minute, approximately 10 times faster than that of a terrestrial helicopter. In 2017, 926 civil helicopters were shipped for $ 3.68 billion, led by Airbus Helicopters with $ 1.87 billion for 369 rotorcraft, Leonardo Helicopters with $ 806 million for 102 (first three-quarters only), Bell Helicopter with $ 696 million for 132, then Robinson Helicopter with $ 161 million for 305. By October 2018,
5194-437: The U.S. Air Force's Common Vertical Lift Support Program. The AW139M is equipped with a high definition forward-looking infrared (FLIR), self-protection system, heavy-duty landing gear, and has low thermal and acoustic signatures. A significant proportion of the equipment is sourced from American manufacturers. Options offered include an external stores system including various armaments, armoured seats, self-sealing fuel tanks, and
5292-534: The US, the type was marketed under the designation US139, and was entered into the US Army's Light Utility Helicopter competition. A key market for the AW139 was the oil and gas industry, which required helicopters of increased endurance for offshore operations. In 2005, AgustaWestland bought out Bell's 25% share in the program and all of its rights to the AW139 for $ 95 million. In April 2008, AgustaWestland revealed that it
5390-550: The aircraft's handling properties under low airspeed conditions—it has proved advantageous to conduct tasks that were previously not possible with other aircraft, or were time- or work-intensive to accomplish on the ground. Today, helicopter uses include transportation of people and cargo, military uses, construction, firefighting, search and rescue , tourism , medical transport, law enforcement, agriculture, news and media , and aerial observation , among others. A helicopter used to carry loads connected to long cables or slings
5488-410: The aviation industry; and the turboshaft engine for helicopter use, pioneered in December 1951 by the aforementioned Kaman K-225, finally gave helicopters an engine with a large amount of power and a low weight penalty. Turboshafts are also more reliable than piston engines, especially when producing the sustained high levels of power required by a helicopter. The turboshaft engine was able to be scaled to
5586-541: The avionics are sourced from Honeywell . Turkish Aerospace Industries has been subcontracted to manufacture various elements of the AW139, including the fuselage, canopy, and radome. Final assembly of most AW139s is performed at AgustaWestland's facilities in Philadelphia , United States, and Vergiate , Italy. Those destined for customers within the Commonwealth of Independent States are typically assembled by
5684-435: The blades angle forwards or backwards, or left and right, to make the helicopter move in those directions. The anti-torque pedals are located in the same position as the rudder pedals in a fixed-wing aircraft, and serve a similar purpose, namely to control the direction in which the nose of the aircraft is pointed. Application of the pedal in a given direction changes the pitch of the tail rotor blades, increasing or reducing
5782-677: The building of roads. These operations are referred to as longline because of the long, single sling line used to carry the load. In military service helicopters are often useful for delivery of outsized slung loads that would not fit inside ordinary cargo aircraft: artillery pieces, large machinery (field radars, communications gear, electrical generators), or pallets of bulk cargo. In military operations these payloads are often delivered to remote locations made inaccessible by mountainous or riverine terrain, or naval vessels at sea. In electronic news gathering , helicopters have provided aerial views of some major news stories, and have been doing so, from
5880-644: The cabin fulfilling the specified requirements yet not satisfying reviewing USAF officials. Alternative cabin configurations have been discussed. In early March 2023, the USAF gave a positive Milestone C decision and issued a $ 285 million LRIP contract for the first 13 MH-139s. Low-rate production began days later. As of August 2024 the AW139 has been involved in 62 incidents with 56 fatalities. Data from AgustaWestland, EASA, Gajetti and Maggiore General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Helicopter A helicopter
5978-478: The cockpit can optionally be modified for compatibility with night vision goggles . The latest version of the Primus EPIC avionics systems includes a synthetic vision system . Pilot training for the type is available via advanced Level D Full Flight Simulators. The AW139 has "the largest cabin in its class", containing up to 15 passengers or four litters and accompanying medics. An additional baggage compartment
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#17327905934796076-406: The cockpit from overhead. The control is called the cyclic because it changes cyclic pitch of the main blades. The result is to tilt the rotor disk in a particular direction, resulting in the helicopter moving in that direction. If the pilot pushes the cyclic forward, the rotor disk tilts forward, and the rotor produces a thrust in the forward direction. If the pilot pushes the cyclic to the side,
6174-470: The cyclic, the collective, the anti-torque pedals, and the throttle. The cyclic control is usually located between the pilot's legs and is commonly called the cyclic stick or just cyclic . On most helicopters, the cyclic is similar to a joystick. However, the Robinson R22 and Robinson R44 have a unique teetering bar cyclic control system and a few helicopters have a cyclic control that descends into
6272-536: The early 21st century, as well as recently weaponized utilities such as artillery spotting , aerial bombing and suicide attacks . The English word helicopter is adapted from the French word hélicoptère , coined by Gustave Ponton d'Amécourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix ( ἕλιξ ), genitive helikos (ἕλῐκος), "helix, spiral, whirl, convolution" and pteron ( πτερόν ) "wing". In
6370-439: The event was taken by Max Skladanowsky , but it remains lost . In 1885, Thomas Edison was given US$ 1,000 (equivalent to $ 34,000 today) by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , to conduct experiments towards developing flight. Edison built a helicopter and used the paper for a stock ticker to create guncotton , with which he attempted to power an internal combustion engine. The helicopter was damaged by explosions and one of his workers
6468-486: The first half of the 20th century was that the amount of power produced by an engine was not able to overcome the engine's weight in vertical flight. This was overcome in early successful helicopters by using the smallest engines available. When the compact, flat engine was developed, the helicopter industry found a lighter-weight powerplant easily adapted to small helicopters, although radial engines continued to be used for larger helicopters. Turbine engines revolutionized
6566-544: The first order was placed by Bristow Helicopters . The first preproduction helicopter flew on 3 February 2001 at Vergiate in Italy, with two further AW139s participating in flying trials. The first production AW139 made its first flight on 24 June 2002. European JAA certification was received in June 2003, and its FAA type certificate followed in December 2004. By May 2005, the AW139 had received in excess of 100 orders worldwide. In
6664-515: The high operating cost of helicopters cost-effective in ensuring that oil platforms continue to operate. Various companies specialize in this type of operation. NASA developed Ingenuity , a 1.8 kg (4.0 lb) helicopter used to survey Mars (along with a rover). It began service in February 2021 and was retired due to sustained rotor blade damage in January 2024 after 73 sorties. As
6762-480: The idea of vertical flight. In July 1754, Russian Mikhail Lomonosov had developed a small coaxial modeled after the Chinese top but powered by a wound-up spring device and demonstrated it to the Russian Academy of Sciences . It was powered by a spring, and was suggested as a method to lift meteorological instruments. In 1783, Christian de Launoy , and his mechanic , Bienvenu, used a coaxial version of
6860-504: The in-service and stored helicopter fleet of 38,570 with civil or government operators was led Robinson Helicopter with 24.7% followed by Airbus Helicopters with 24.4%, then Bell with 20.5 and Leonardo with 8.4%, Russian Helicopters with 7.7%, Sikorsky Aircraft with 7.2%, MD Helicopters with 3.4% and other with 2.2%. The most widespread model is the piston Robinson R44 with 5,600, then the H125/ AS350 with 3,600 units, followed by
6958-662: The lack of an airstrip would make transport via fixed-wing aircraft impossible. The use of transport helicopters to deliver troops as an attack force on an objective is referred to as " air assault ". Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) helicopter systems of varying sizes are developed by companies for military reconnaissance and surveillance duties. Naval forces also use helicopters equipped with dipping sonar for anti-submarine warfare , since they can operate from small ships. Oil companies charter helicopters to move workers and parts quickly to remote drilling sites located at sea or in remote locations. The speed advantage over boats makes
7056-581: The late 1960s. Helicopters have also been used in films, both in front and behind the camera. The largest single non-combat helicopter operation in history was the disaster management operation following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster . Hundreds of pilots were involved in airdrop and observation missions, making dozens of sorties a day for several months. " Helitack " is the use of helicopters to combat wildland fires . The helicopters are used for aerial firefighting (water bombing) and may be fitted with tanks or carry helibuckets . Helibuckets, such as
7154-555: The limited power did not allow for manned flight. The introduction of the internal combustion engine at the end of the 19th century became the watershed for helicopter development as engines began to be developed and produced that were powerful enough to allow for helicopters able to lift humans. Early helicopter designs utilized custom-built engines or rotary engines designed for airplanes, but these were soon replaced by more powerful automobile engines and radial engines . The single, most-limiting factor of helicopter development during
7252-485: The monorotor design, and coaxial-rotor , tiltrotor and compound helicopters are also all flying today. Four-rotor helicopters ( quadcopters ) were pioneered as early as 1907 in France, and along with other types of multicopters , have been developed mainly for specialized applications such as commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) due to the rapid expansion of drone racing and aerial photography markets in
7350-601: The nearby park, the Parco Forlanini. Emmanuel Dieuaide's steam-powered design featured counter-rotating rotors powered through a hose from a boiler on the ground. In 1887 Parisian inventor, Gustave Trouvé , built and flew a tethered electric model helicopter. In July 1901, the maiden flight of Hermann Ganswindt 's helicopter took place in Berlin-Schöneberg; this was probably the first heavier-than-air motor-driven flight carrying humans. A movie covering
7448-409: The newer heavy-weight model. This heavier airframe comes at the expense of decreased hot and high performance. In November 2015, AgustaWestland demonstrated a 60-minute "run-dry" test (no oil) of an AW139's main gearbox, 30 minutes greater than any other certified rotorcraft at the time. The AW139 is a conventional twin-engine multi-role helicopter. It has a five-bladed fully articulated main rotor with
7546-464: The nose to pitch down, with a resultant increase in airspeed and loss of altitude. Aft cyclic will cause the nose to pitch up, slowing the helicopter and causing it to climb. Increasing collective (power) while maintaining a constant airspeed will induce a climb while decreasing collective will cause a descent. Coordinating these two inputs, down collective plus aft cyclic or up collective plus forward cyclic, will result in airspeed changes while maintaining
7644-664: The offshore oil and gas industry. A dedicated militarised model, the AW139M , was developed by AgustaWestland. It was first procured by the Italian Air Force . Other military operators include the United States Air Force , which operates the MH-139 Grey Wolf model. The Japanese business Mitsui Bussan Aerospace has obtained an exclusive distribution agreement for the AW139 in Japan. Over 1,100 rotorcraft had been sold by January 2021. The AW139 has been developed into
7742-411: The power normally required to be diverted for the tail rotor to be applied fully to the main rotors, increasing the aircraft's power efficiency and lifting capacity. There are several common configurations that use the counter-rotating effect to benefit the rotorcraft: Tip jet designs let the rotor push itself through the air and avoid generating torque. The number, size and type of engine(s) used on
7840-436: The rotor disk tilts to that side and produces thrust in that direction, causing the helicopter to hover sideways. The collective pitch control or collective is located on the left side of the pilot's seat with a settable friction control to prevent inadvertent movement. The collective changes the pitch angle of all the main rotor blades collectively (i.e. all at the same time) and independently of their position. Therefore, if
7938-406: The rotor in cruise, which allows its rotation to be slowed down , thus increasing the maximum speed of the aircraft. The Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne diverted up to 90% of its engine power to a pusher propeller during forward flight. There are three basic flight conditions for a helicopter: hover, forward flight and the transition between the two. Hovering is the most challenging part of flying
8036-422: The rotor throughout normal flight. The rotor system, or more simply rotor , is the rotating part of a helicopter that generates lift . A rotor system may be mounted horizontally, as main rotors are, providing lift vertically, or it may be mounted vertically, such as a tail rotor, to provide horizontal thrust to counteract torque from the main rotors. The rotor consists of a mast, hub and rotor blades. The mast
8134-546: The scope of its MRO in coordination with Leonardo Helicopters, becoming an authorized component repair center by the company, and become approved to perform main gearbox work in April 2021. In October 2012, the Royal Thai Army ordered a pair of AW139s. A further eight were produced in October 2015. In September 2021, the privately owned company Thai Aviation Services arranged the delivery of three AW139s to undertake
8232-418: The size of the helicopter being designed, so that all but the lightest of helicopter models are powered by turbine engines today. Special jet engines developed to drive the rotor from the rotor tips are referred to as tip jets . Tip jets powered by a remote compressor are referred to as cold tip jets, while those powered by combustion exhaust are referred to as hot tip jets. An example of a cold jet helicopter
8330-483: The skies. Since helicopters can achieve a unique aerial view, they are often used in conjunction with police on the ground to report on suspects' locations and movements. They are often mounted with lighting and heat-sensing equipment for night pursuits. Military forces use attack helicopters to conduct aerial attacks on ground targets. Such helicopters are mounted with missile launchers and miniguns . Transport helicopters are used to ferry troops and supplies where
8428-479: The tail rotor, such as the ducted fan (called Fenestron or FANTAIL ) and NOTAR . NOTAR provides anti-torque similar to the way a wing develops lift through the use of the Coandă effect on the tail boom. The use of two or more horizontal rotors turning in opposite directions is another configuration used to counteract the effects of torque on the aircraft without relying on an anti-torque tail rotor. This allows
8526-448: The throttle is to maintain enough engine power to keep the rotor RPM within allowable limits so that the rotor produces enough lift for flight. In single-engine helicopters, the throttle control is a motorcycle-style twist grip mounted on the collective control, while dual-engine helicopters have a power lever for each engine. A compound helicopter has an additional system for thrust and, typically, small stub fixed wings . This offloads
8624-417: The thrust produced by the tail rotor and causing the nose to yaw in the direction of the applied pedal. The pedals mechanically change the pitch of the tail rotor altering the amount of thrust produced. Helicopter rotors are designed to operate in a narrow range of RPM . The throttle controls the power produced by the engine, which is connected to the rotor by a fixed ratio transmission. The purpose of
8722-533: The type for electronic news gathering, firefighting, disaster relief operations. In 2016, Leonardo announced that the 50th AW139 to the Japanese market had been delivered. In March 2017, the delivery of the first Japanese VIP -configured AW139 took place to an undisclosed customer. In the North American market, CHC Helicopter was the first operator of the type. In 2012, CHC became the largest operator of
8820-677: The type. By February 2010, two AW139s had been ordered by both the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau for law enforcement, disaster relief, and general transportation duties. In July 2022, it was stated that 40 AW139s had been delivered by Leonardo Helicopters to China. The largest civil helicopter operator in China, CITIC Offshore Helicopter , operates eight AW139s. In September 2018,
8918-517: The vertical flight he had envisioned. Steam power was popular with other inventors as well. In 1877, the Italian engineer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer Enrico Forlanini developed an unmanned helicopter powered by a steam engine . It rose to a height of 13 meters (43 feet), where it remained for 20 seconds, after a vertical take-off from a park in Milan . Milan has dedicated its city airport to Enrico Forlanini, also named Linate Airport , as well as
9016-564: Was announced that HeliVert had supplied four AW139s to the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec . In March 2022, shortly following the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Leonardo Helicopters suspended its business in Russia and restricted the support available to existing operators of the type in the country. In July 2014, AgustaWestland announce that the global fleet had accumulated in excess of one million flight hours. By this milestone,
9114-486: Was badly burned. Edison reported that it would take a motor with a ratio of three to four pounds per horsepower produced to be successful, based on his experiments. Ján Bahýľ , a Slovak inventor, adapted the internal combustion engine to power his helicopter model that reached a height of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in 1901. On 5 May 1905, his helicopter reached 4 meters (13 feet) in altitude and flew for over 1,500 meters (4,900 feet). In 1908, Edison patented his own design for
9212-711: Was designed jointly by the Italian helicopter manufacturer Agusta and the American company Bell Helicopters . It was marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139 , but was redesignated as the AW139 after Bell withdrew from the project. In addition to AgustaWestland's manufacturing facilities in Italy and the United States, other companies are involved in the programme, such as the Polish manufacturer PZL-Świdnik , which has produced hundreds of AW139 airframes, and HeliVert,
9310-621: Was in the process of certifying an increase in the AW139's max gross weight to 14,991 lb (6,800 kg), to better compete in long-range markets served by helicopters such as the larger Sikorsky S-92 and Eurocopter EC225 . In 2007, a second production line at the United States AgustaWestland Aerospace plant in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania was established. The Philadelphia plant produced its 200th AW139 in September 2014, at which point U.S. production
9408-556: Was initially planned to produce AW139s by 2012. HeliVert, a joint venture between AgustaWestland and Rostvertol, began domestic production of the AW139 in 2012, at which point it was planned that between 15 and 20 helicopters would be produced per year. The first AW139 to be assembled in Russia made its first flight in December 2012. In January 2013, the Russian Defense Ministry was reportedly considering placing an order for seven AW139s. In January 2014, HeliVert received
9506-418: Was intended to reach 40 units per year in the near future. By 2011, AgustaWestland was producing 90 AW139s per year. 9.5% of the company's overall revenue in 2010 was attributed to the type. By 2013, a combined total of 720 AW139s had been sold to over 200 operators in 60 countries. In 2011, a military-configured variant, the AW139M, was revealed by AgustaWestland. It was promoted at the US market, including for
9604-458: Was the first of this group, and as of 2014, it was to be joined by the larger AW149 and AW189 , aimed at military and civilian customers respectively. Advances made in the development of new models are intended to be transferable onto existing family members, decreasing the cost of future upgrades for the AW139. In June 2010, it was announced that AgustaWestland and Rostvertol would build a manufacturing plant in Tomilino , Moscow Region, where it
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