A new Photo Report Page dedicated to the event held in Cheltenham from 15 to 18 March 2022.
My special thanks to Graeme LOVELL for this complete photo report of all the helicopters operating from Cheltenham Heliport during the days of the event.
AW109S
All posts tagged AW109S
PRESS RELEASE – Rome 10 March 2021
- The delivery of an AW109 Trekker to FlyKomala grows the presence of Leonardo’s light twins in Indonesia adding to the AW109 Grand and GrandNew models
- FlyKomala will use its new aircraft for a wide range of missions including passenger transport, utility transport, disaster relief, and emergency support duties
- Leonardo’s helicopter fleet in Indonesia counts almost 20 aircrafts to date for corporate, SAR, and utility transport missions
Leonardo announced today the delivery of an AW109 Trekker light twin to FlyKomala of Indonesia, marking the entrance of the type into the country’s helicopter market.
The aircraft will be used by the operator to carry out a range of missions including passenger transport, utility transport, disaster relief, and emergency support duties. FlyKomala will benefit from best in class performance and payload, large cabin space, a rugged airframe and modern avionics to enhance mission effectiveness and safety in the demanding environmental and weather conditions of the country.
This latest delivery grows the success of Leonardo’s light twin types in Indonesia adding to the AW109 Grand and GrandNew models. Leonardo’s civil helicopter fleet in Indonesia counts almost 20 aircraft of various types for corporate, SAR, and utility transport tasks. Asia has proven to be one of the most important regions for the AW109 Trekker, chosen in various countries for several applications including EMS, utility, and law enforcement tasks.
The AW109 Trekker maintains the AW109 Grand airframe, large cabin and top-class performance while offering greater payload at a competitive cost, therefore proving it is perfectly suited to meet the stringent requirements of operators in terms of capabilities and cost effectiveness. The AW109 Trekker is the latest addition to Leonardo’s helicopter portfolio and the Company’s first light twin to offer skid landing gear. The AW109 Trekker is equipped with a latest generation Genesys Aerosystems glass cockpit that can be configured according to customer needs: one or two pilots, VFR or IFR. Over 70 AW109 Trekkers have been sold to customers around the world to date for a number of missions, adding to around 1,500 AW109 series units sold globally.
PRESS RELEASE – 05 November 2020
- Two more helicopters ordered by this operator and the order also marks the entry of the AW109 Trekker in the US for EMS and the growing success of the AW169 in this market
- The helicopters will conduct vital air medical transport missions across Minnesota and Wisconsin in the United States and will be delivered in 2021
- The AW169 and AW109 Trekker meet the most stringent safety standards and are configured to support Life Link III crews undertake in-flight critical care and transport patients
Leonardo announced today that Life Link III, an EMS operator in Minnesota and Wisconsin in the United States, has signed a contract for an AW169 and an AW109 Trekker for air medical transport missions.
The helicopters will ensure in-flight critical care and transport patients across the upper-Midwest of the country and delivery is anticipated to take place in the fourth quarter of 2021. This order marks the entry of the AW109 Trekker into the US for EMS applications and further grows the success of the AW169 in this market.
The AW169 features a spacious 222 cubic ft. cabin and Life Link III will have a FAA certified EMS interior which provides 360-degree patient access essential for critical care. The helicopter can travel up to 440 nautical miles, with a top speed of 160 knots and it can climb to 14,500 feet.
The Trekker has high-end EMS capabilities in terms of its interior, performance, advanced avionics, and safety standards. The twin-engine helicopter is equipped with Night Vision Goggles (NVG), single-pilot instrument flight rules, and a customised interior built to meet Life Link III’s requirements.
This sale will increase Life Link III’s Leonardo helicopters fleet to 14 aircraft and the company will be the first to operate a mixed fleet of AW119 IFR and AW109 Trekker. These aircraft feature the same core avionics which deliver unique advantages in terms of fleet management, training, safety, and support. The EMS operator’s existing fleet comprises of ten AW119Kx which have accrued more than 21,000 flight hours. In addition, in July of this year, Life Link III signed for the first IFR-certified AW119 in the civil market – this aircraft will enable the company to undertake safer operations in challenging weather conditions. The helicopter is expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2021.
Lee McCammon, Vice President of Operations at Life Link III, commented: “The addition of the AW109 Trekker and AW169 will return Life Link III to instrument flight capability and further enhance our ability to deliver safe, fast, and reliable air medical transportation to the communities we serve. Our strong relationship with Leonardo supports our commitment to utilizing advanced technology to complete life-saving missions.”
William Hunt, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters in Philadelphia, said: “We are pleased to once again be supporting the vital life-saving missions of our long-standing partner, Life Link III. The AW109 Trekker and AW169 will be great additions to the EMS operator’s fleet and both aircraft with their high-tech capabilities will enable Life Link III to conduct its operations safely and quickly.”
This latest sale represents the growing share of Leonardo’s helicopters in the North American EMS market, which now totals more than 110 across a fleet of AW119s, AW109s, AW169s and AW139s. Leonardo is committed to serving and protecting communities around the world, contributing to their sustainable growth by leading in next generation technologies. Partnering with Governments, private organizations and industries for the best security and safety capabilities is a cornerstone of Leonardo’s BeTomorrow2030 Strategic Plan.
Nearly 240 orders for AW169s have been placed by countries including Italy, the UK, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and the United States. To date over 70 AW109 Trekkers have been sold to customers worldwide for a range of roles and over 1,500 AW109 series units have been sold globally for the widest scope of missions.
- The AW109 Trekker of S.A.F. Hélicoptères outperformed competing offers with its excellent performance, advanced avionics, cabin space mission capabilities for EMS operations
- Delivery is expected by year end to support operations from Rouen Hospital
- This latest achievement expands the range of commercial customers in France who operate Leonardo helicopters for EMS and VIP/corporate transport
- To date over 70 AW109 Trekkers have been sold to customers worldwide for a range of roles
PRESS RELEASE – Rome, 16 June 2020
Leonardo announced today that the AW109 Trekker light twin engine helicopter has been chosen as the new helicopter to support Emergency Medical Service (EMS) operations from Rouen Hospital in Normandie, France.
One aircraft, with a specially customised EMS interior, is expected be delivered by the end of 2020 from Leonardo’s Vergiate final assembly line in Italy, and the rotorcraft will be operated by S.A.F. Hélicoptères.
The SAF Hélicoptères’ AW109 Trekker-based offer was selected following a thorough and rigorous tender process outperforming competing types. The contract award marks the entrance of this Leonardo light twin helicopter model into the French civil helicopter market and follows the success of the AW109 Power and Grand for EMS tasks in the country. This achievement also expands the number of French commercial customers using Leonardo helicopters such as the AW109 series, AW169 and AW139 for a range of roles including EMS and VIP/corporate transport. The AW109 Trekker is the perfect fit to meet other EMS requirements in France in the future.
Tristan Serretta, CEO of SAF Hélicoptères said “We’re proud to be the future supplier of helicopter EMS services from Rouen Hospital. As a helicopter operator, we’re always looking at proposing high-end economically-viable solutions to our customers. The team here is excited to introduce the Leonardo AW109 Trekker into SAF’s fleet. The region will benefit from our solid expertise and experience of HEMS combined with the exceptional capabilities in terms of EMS interior, performance, advanced avionics, safety standards of the Trekker. We look forward to starting operations supporting the local community.”
I-WELL – Heli image of the day
ITALIAN ROTORS
AgustaWestland AW109S Grand ( c/n 22115 ) I-WELL
Not common visitor in Milan Malpensa … AgustaWestland AW109S Grand I-WELL operated by Air Corporate … resting on the tarmac in October 2019.
I-ESPO – Italian Helicopter Register NEWS
After more than nine years of operations with Esperia Aviation, this AgustaWestland AW109S Grand, registered I-ESPO, was cancelled towards Germany and reassigned as D-HBDL at the end of May 2019.
- The first VIP AW109 Trekker for the European market is destined for the United Kingdom where Leonardo has a fleet of almost 100 VIP helicopters
- Leonardo has a global fleet of over 830 VIP helicopters performing private, charter, scheduled, corporate transport, air-taxi, tourism and VVIP transport
- With skids and high levels of customization, the AW109 Trekker is slated to increase Leonardo’s impressive VIP market share (44% in twin engines)
PRESS RELEASE – Monte Carlo, 25th September 2019
The first Leonardo AW109 VIP Trekker helicopter for a European customer debuts today at the Monaco Yacht Show.
The Monaco Yacht Show (25 to 28 September) is one of the most important international luxury yacht showcases. After the show, the VIP Trekker will fly to the United Kingdom for delivery thanks to Sloane Helicopters, Leonardo’s distributor for over twenty years in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The privately-owned aircraft will be operated by Apollo Air Services, available for VIP charter market.
The AW109 Trekker is the newest model within Leonardo’s light twin-engine helicopter range. The Trekker joins a fleet of Leonardo VIP helicopters that lead the UK and Irish market: almost 100 aircraft with nearly 90% represented by the AW109 series (Power, Grand and GrandNew). This market is second only to Brazil where about 130 Leonardo VIP helicopters fly amongst 400 San Paolo helipads. The helicopter maker and the distinguished Italian Style of its VIP helicopter design are embraced around the world, boasting a 44% global share in the twin-engine VIP helicopter market.
The Company’s fleet of 2,300 civil helicopters are used for law enforcement, offshore transport, utilities, search and rescue and VIP / corporate transport. More than 830 aircraft carry out a range pf passenger transport missions including private, charter, scheduled flights, corporate, air-taxi, tourism, VVIP. Leonardo’s VIP helicopter models all share a strong commitment to high performance, versatility, safety, reliability, support and training services, design and a high level of customization. The Company features the largest range of executive, corporate and government transport helicopters including the AW119Kx single engine 1.8 tonne, the AW109 series, the AW169, AW139, AW189 and the three-engine 16 tonne.
With the AW109 Trekker Leonardo is destined to increase its notable market share, thanks to features that combine the qualities of the AW109 Grand—long recognized by operators— Company General Use including its spacious cabin, state-of-the-art Genesys Aerosystems avionics and skids, particularly suitable for landing on yachts. The combination is unmatched in terms of cost/effectiveness, technology and performance. Sloane Helicopters will be maintaining two AW109 Trekkers in UK. Building on the qualities that have made the AW109 series the benchmark helicopters in its category, Sloane will be performing demonstration flights with the new Leonardo light twin inviting operators to learn more about its unique characteristics.
Very sad news today, involving N11NM AgustaWestland AW109S Grand operating HEMS on behalf of North Memorial Health … this helicopter was operated for several years in Italy as I-BSPL.
Please visit the following links for details about the accident: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/226646
Leonardo Helicopters AW109S Trekker I-AGGR.
Thanks to Oscar BERNARDI for these new images of the colorful Leonardo Helicopters AW109S Trekker I-AGGR … while performing training activity in Venegono (VA), January 2019.
Leonardo Helicopters AW109S Trekker ( c/n 22702 ) JA35MP.
Thanks to Takeshi FUJINAMI for this great action image of the factory new Leonardo Helicopters AW109S Trekker JA35MP operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department … taking off from Tokyo Heliport, December 2018.