HH Sheikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum First Woman to Pilot Leonardo’s AW609 Tiltrotor

30.05.2022 Aviation & Space
HH Sheikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum First Woman to Pilot Leonardo’s AW609 Tiltrotor

HH Sheikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum First Woman to Pilot Leonardo’s AW609 Tiltrotor

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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.

Leonardo, a global high-technology company, is among the top world players in Aerospace, Defense and Security and Italy’s main industrial company. Organized into five business divisions, Leonardo has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the USA, where it also operates through subsidiaries that include Leonardo DRS (defense electronics), and joint ventures and partnerships: ATR, MBDA, Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space and Avio.

Leonardo competes in the most important international markets by leveraging its areas of technological and product leadership (Helicopters, Aircraft, Aerostructures, Electronics, Cyber & Security Solutions and Space).

Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2020 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of €13.4 billion and invested €1.6 billion in Research and Development. The company has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2010 and has been confirmed among the global sustainability leaders in 2021. Leonardo is also included in the MIB ESG index. (Photo © Leonardo)

 



 
 

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