Page 47 - World Airnews Magazine May 2021 Edition

COMMERCIAL HELICOPTERS

FIRST FIVE-BLADE AIRBUS

ACH145 HELICOPTER

By Asian Aviation Staff

CAN RE-WINGED,

RE-ENGINED 737 MAX

COMPETE WITH THE A321XLR?

ew Zealand VIP and charter operator Advanced Flight,
This article was penned by Aviation Week senior Nlaunch customer for the new Airbus ACH145 with fi ve
editor and Western US bureau chief Guy Norris rotor-blades, has taken delivery of its helicopter.
The aircraft is the latest version of the best-selling H145 light

the 1980s. The nose gear was lengthened After ruling out a costly centre wing box twin-engine helicopter and provides a 150kg increase in useful

by 6 in and the main gear strengthened, or side-of-body redesign, Boeing looked load while delivering new levels of comfort and operational

n a word, no. Here’s why: The baseline while the new, bigger engines were can- at several gear options before settling on simplicity.

I737 confi gurati on has proved to be re- tilevered up and forward of the wing to a new design combining a semi-levered, Its reduced rotor diameter allows operation in more confined
markably resilient for a 55-year-old design maintain ground clearance. trailing-link extension with a shrink link. areas.

with 13 major derivatives and more than The launch of the 737 Next Generation The former feature moves the rotation Advanced Flight has a relationship with Airbus stretching

10,500 deliveries and counting since 1967. in the 1990s saw a major redesign of the point aft, while the latter compresses the back some 20 years and currently operates one H125, six H130s

Conceived initially for short-haul routes, wing that widened the main landing gear 9.5-in.-taller gear leg on retraction, allow- and one H145 on operations throughout New Zealand from its

the aircraft was designed with engines track by almost 2 ft. The gear itself re- ing it to fit into the same volume as the Auckland base. An Advanced Flight spokesperson said “It has

been quite a process to get to this delivery during the pandemic,
mounted directly beneath the wings rath- ceived few dimensional changes, although standard MAX main-gear wheel well. however now that it is here, the end result is exceptional. During

er than underslung on a 707-style pylon. tire size increased, and the nose-gear Ingenious though the new gear design

This enabled a shorter, inward-retracting wheel well was extended forward by 3 in. is, the size and position of the wheel well the acceptance test flight both passengers and pilots alike were

impressed by the comfort and performance. We kept hearing
landing gear and placed the fuselage lower to accommodate fuselage growth. mean that further fuselage extensions are comments like ‘wow - this feels like flying a fixed-wing plane’.

to the ground—making ground-servicing The baseline gear arrangement was impractical without a major wing redesign.

access easier at regional airports, most again slightly modified for the MAX in the The cost of this -added to the associated “ It all confirms what a major step the new ACH145 constitutes

of which at the time lacked skybridges 2010s, and despite the increased size of revisions of the fuselage structure, systems and Advanced Flight is definitely a proud operator of such an ex-

and other elements of the new jet-age the CFM Leap 1B engine, the design mini- and wing to accept an even larger engine cellent product. It was a great pleasure to once again work with

infrastructure. mized the required change to a mere 8-in. - make this an unattractive option against the teams from Airbus Helicopters in Germany and Australia to

Boeing could not have imagined in the extension to the nose-gear leg. the relative benefits of an all-new uncom- get this aircraft delivered to New Zealand in very difficult world-
1960s that the short, stocky gear arrange- But more fundamental changes were promised design. wide circumstances. We would tell anyone looking to purchase
a helicopter in this category, whether it is for private, corporate,

ment would one day prove to be a limit unavoidable when Boeing wanted to After performing beyond all expectations aeromedical, or military use, this is the aircraft for you. Fly it…you

to its growth, and over the decades, the challenge the Airbus A321neo by stretching as a wellspring of derivatives, the 737 likely will be amazed.”

company has worked within the same the 737 beyond the 737-9’s length of 138 will have run its course after the -10 - hence

basic centre wing structure to adapt the ft. 4 in. Boeing’s big challenge was how to Boeing’s pursuit of new options to counter Head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters Frederic Lemos said, “We
737 to heavier weights, larger engines and extend the fuselage 66 in. for the 230-seat the Airbus A321XLR. Q greatly appreciate the loyalty of Advanced Flight over many years

longer fuselages. 737-10 while maintaining aft body clear- and we thank them for the very useful input they provided during

The process began with the launch of the ance on rotation - all without altering the Article courtesy: https:// the development of the new ACH145. It’s helped make the new

reengined CFM56-powered 737 Classic in geometry of the wheel well. aviationweek.com/ ACH145 what it is today - the best helicopter in its class.” Q
World Airnews | May 2021 World Airnews | May 2021
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