The Bell V280 Valor has reached a significant milestone it its flight test program. On May 11, the aircraft flew in "cruise mode" for the first time, reaching a true airspeed of 190 knots.
The flight marks the first time the airplane has transitioned from vertical to horizontal flight by pivoting the rotors to a forward-facing configuration. The team plans to gradually expand the aircraft's flight envelope with a goal of achieving the designed cruise speed of 280 knots. The V-280 Valor is powered by two 5,000 horsepower GE T64-GE-419 engines. It is designed to carry a crew of four and up to 14 passengers at a combat range of between 500 and 800 nautical miles. The FAA has released a modification of its policy banning "doors off" helicopter flights that was put in place following an accident in New York City that resulted in the fatal injury of five passengers aboard the aircraft. According to a National Policy Notice announcing the change, all principal inspectors (PI), aviation safety inspectors (ASI), and aviation safety technicians (AST) in Safety Assurance offices who have oversight responsibility of operators, or pilots that conduct doors-off flights for compensation or hire, are
required to convey the information contained in the Order to those operators or pilots immediately. This is how you know when you’re having a REALLY bad day... The copilot of a Sichuan Airlines flight was reportedly "sucked halfway out" of the airplane when a cockpit window failed at cruising altitude. The Airbus A319 had 119 passengers on board and was about a half hour into its flight to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, when the incident occurred. The captain of the airplane said that the windshield cracked "suddenly ... The next thing I know, my copilot had been sucked halfway out of the window." All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 05.18.18 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Friday, May 18th, 2018... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:
- Bell V-280 Valor Marks Flight Test Milestone
- FAA Loosens 'Doors Off' Helicopter Flight Ban
- Chinese Copilot Reportedly Nearly Pulled Out Of The Airplane
- A330neo Launch Operator Completes Maiden Flight
- AMA Celebrates A Year Of Successful Advocacy
- Gulfstream G500 And G600 Highlight Collect Tandem City-Pair Records
- New Book Looks At Great Lakes Region's Contribution To WWII
Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!
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