When the epitaph is written for the Bell-Agusta BA609 civil tiltrotor, it may be: Right aircraft, wrong market. Originally envisioned as a six-passenger executive transport that would land and take off like a helicopter but cruise like a turboprop at altitudes up to 25,000 feet with a maximum forward speed of 356 mph, the vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft was a hit when first announcedrnin 1996. The order book for the aircraft quickly built to 80 units. However, as the years passed, orders stagnated, and even shrank a bit. Meanwhile, development partners Bell andrnAgustaWestland devoted their resources to more promising commercial and military helicopter programs.
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