As big as the A380 is--the passenger capacity is supposed to be in excess of 500 travelers--it's still a rather conventional design. Not so the BA609 Tiltrotor from Bell/Agusta Aerospace (pictured here in a file photo from the company). The nine-passenger aircraft is designed for vertical takeoff and landing, meaning it could whisk executives directly from a downtown heliport, but also to offer the cruising speed, altitude and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Bell/Agusta says the BA609, which made its first test flight in 2003, has a maximum cruising speed of 275 knots, a service ceiling of 25,000 feet and a range in the neighborhood of 750 nautical miles.
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