Marine Pilot transfer using a helicopter (AgustaWestland A109SP) - Richardsbay (South Africa)

Описание: Here can be seen how Transnet does a marine pilot transfer in Richardsbay, South Africa. This was carried out on both videos with outgoing ships.

Some general info about the aircraft:

Originally the Agusta A109 is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter built by the Italian manufacturer LeonardoS.p.A. (formerly
AgustaWestland, merged into the new Finmeccanica since 2016). It was the first all-Italian helicopter to be mass-produced.
Developed as the A109 by Agusta, it originally entered service in 1976 and has since been used in various roles, including light transport, medevac, search-and-rescue, and military roles. The AW109 has been in continuous production for 45 years.

In the late 1960s, Agusta designed the A109 originally as a single-engine commercial helicopter. However, it was soon realised that a twin-engine design was needed and it was re-designed in 1969 with two Allison 250-C14 turboshaft engines. A projected military version (the A109B) was considered early on but Agusta initially chose not to pursue immediate development, instead concentrating on the eight-seat A109C version. The first of three prototypes made its maiden flight on 4 August 1971. The A109's flight testing phase was prolonged, this was due in part to the discovery of dynamic instability which took a year to resolve via a modified transmission design; this led to the first production aircraft being completed almost four years later in April 1975. On 1 June 1975, certification for visual flight rules (VFR) upon the A109 was received from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Improved civil versions quickly followed on from the initial production model; in 1981, a A109A Mk2 with a widened cabin was made available to operators. In 1993, the A109 K2 was introduced using a new powerplant, a pair of Turbomeca Arriel 1K1 engines; this was followed by the A109 Power, broadly similar to the K2 except for the use of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206 engines instead, in 1996. According to AgustaWestland, the A109 Power was in service in 46 countries by 2008. In 2006, an enlarged variant, the A109S Grand, was introduced.

The Agusta A109 was renamed the AW109 following the July 2000 merger of Finmeccanica S.p.A. and GKN plc's respective helicopter subsidiaries Agusta and Westland Helicopters to form AgustaWestland. Since the mid-1990s, fuselages for the AW109 have been manufactured by PZL-Świdnik, which became a subsidiary company of AgustaWestland in 2010. In June 2006, the 500th fuselage was delivered by PZL-Świdnik, marking 10 years of co-operation on the AW109 between the two companies. In 2004, AgustaWestland formed a joint venture with Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation for the support and production of the AW109; by 2009, the joint venture was capable to perform final assembly of the AW109, as well as manufacture major sections such as the fuselage.

In February 2014, AgustaWestland revealed that it was developing the AW109 Trekker, an updated variant of the AW109. It is equipped with skid landing gear (the first twin-engine helicopter by AgustaWestland to have this feature) and is powered by a pair of FADEC-equipped Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C engines; its avionics are supplied by Genesys Aerospace, which have been designed for single-pilot operations. The Trekker reportedly advances upon the standard AW109's utility capabilities. As per prior AW109 versions, the final assembly of the Trekker is undertaken at sites in both the US and Italy.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1 or 2
Capacity: 6 or 7 passengers
Length: 11.448 m (37 ft 7 in) fuselage
Height: 3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)
Empty weight: 1,590 kg (3,505 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 2,850 kg (6,283 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206C Turboshaft engine, 418 kW (560 hp) each
Main rotor diameter: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)

Performance

Maximum speed: 311 km/h (193 mph, 168 kn)
Cruise speed: 285 km/h (177 mph, 154 kn)
Never exceed speed: 311 km/h (193 mph, 168 kn)
Ferry range: 932 km (579 mi, 503 nmi)
Rate of climb: 9.8 m/s (1,930 ft/min)