Leonardo was honored to host Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum at its United States’ helicopter headquarters in Philadelphia, providing her the opportunity to personally test the revolutionary AW609, the world’s first tiltrotor set to receive civil certification.
“Leonardo was honored to host Her Highness, providing this one-of-a-kind experience on the world’s first tiltrotor set to achieve civil certification,” stated William Hunt, Managing Director, Leonardo Helicopters in the U.S. “Demonstrating the AW609’s combined fixed and rotary-winded piloting capabilities was a true milestone for the team in Philadelphia.”
The AW609 is one of the most significant technological innovations in the civil aviation landscape, melding the helicopter’s operational versatility (taking off and landing vertically) and the airplane’s performance advantages (pressurized cabin, speed, altitude and endurance abilities), opening new and exciting possibilities for passenger transport and public service.
Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum was the first woman to pilot the AW609, setting a new and important milestone for female pilots in civil aviation.
“Piloting the AW609 has been on my bucket list since I first saw the early prototype images. It is the natural evolution of my piloting experience, merging both fixed and rotary-winged piloting skills. I am still pinching myself for this opportunity! Aircrafts like this one make me feel really excited about the future of aviation, a future now open to more women who chose this industry.”
The AW609 will revolutionize point to point transport. The tiltrotor can take off and land vertically and hover like a helicopter, and fly offering passengers the comfort of a turboprop airplane. Able to operate different kind of missions, including VIP transport, emergency medical service, search and rescue, and government applications, the AW609 can fly at a speed of more than 500 km/h with a range of almost 1,400 km, which can reach 2,000 with auxiliary tanks.
FlyBy Aviation Academy has reached 17,000 hours of practical flight training during the first six months of 2026, a figure that confirms the Academy's sustained growth. This figure reflects the in...
Storm Aviation took a new role as the central coordination hub for Aircraft on Ground recovery across the group. The move expands the reach of its established GO Team, giving operators a sin...
Diamond Aircraft announced the sale of a DA50 RG aircraft to Air Wilderness, a leading Kenya-based Air Operating Company. Air Wilderness now becomes Africa’s first AOC to operate Diamond Aircraf...
Electra and Safran Helicopter Engines announced a life-of-program production agreement for the TG600 turbogenerator, which will power Electra’s ground-breaking EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electr...
