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Well....actually its civilian version the Bell 609 tiltrotor
Wired Danger Room article...
Wired Danger Room article...
Buy Your Own Osprey!
The controversial, fast-flying Osprey tiltrotor craft has become a favorite for ferrying generals around Iraq. Now, civilian bigwigs can get similar treatment.
Osprey-maker Bell Helicopter has rolled out its Bell 609, which looks (and flies) a whole lot like its military cousin -- "combin[ing] the speed, altitude, and comfort of a turboprop with the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter." The machine goes twice as fast as normal helicopters, soars to 25,000 feet, and carries nine well-heeled passengers, the company promises. With the 609, "an executive could conceivably take off from the helipad of a country house outside London, fly in comfort to a meeting in Frankfurt in just 60 minutes, then fly on to Zurich, Milan and back home for early dinner."
Bell claims to already have more than 80 orders in the States and Europe. Bell/Agusta marketing exec Don Barbour tells The Reg's Lew Page that "'private individuals' including golfer Greg Norman and former US political wild card Ross Perot Jr have ordered 609s as their personal flying cars."
So - bottom line, what does it cost to buy a 609, and be the first in your billionaire's heliport with a tiltrotor? Barbour was reluctant to be pinned on price, as the 609 isn't yet certified. He also admitted that a tiltrotor would naturally cost more to maintain and run than an ordinary helicopter or business jet - but not as much as having both. All he would say was that Bell/Agusta "aim to be competitive - over the life of the aircraft - with business jets and helicopters now selling in the $18-23 million range."
Considering the military version runs about $119 million per copy -- with more than $55 billion in research, development, and acquisitions costs, not to mention crashes which have costs the lives of 30 --that sounds like quite a bargan for the CEO on the go.
The controversial, fast-flying Osprey tiltrotor craft has become a favorite for ferrying generals around Iraq. Now, civilian bigwigs can get similar treatment.
Osprey-maker Bell Helicopter has rolled out its Bell 609, which looks (and flies) a whole lot like its military cousin -- "combin[ing] the speed, altitude, and comfort of a turboprop with the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter." The machine goes twice as fast as normal helicopters, soars to 25,000 feet, and carries nine well-heeled passengers, the company promises. With the 609, "an executive could conceivably take off from the helipad of a country house outside London, fly in comfort to a meeting in Frankfurt in just 60 minutes, then fly on to Zurich, Milan and back home for early dinner."
Bell claims to already have more than 80 orders in the States and Europe. Bell/Agusta marketing exec Don Barbour tells The Reg's Lew Page that "'private individuals' including golfer Greg Norman and former US political wild card Ross Perot Jr have ordered 609s as their personal flying cars."
So - bottom line, what does it cost to buy a 609, and be the first in your billionaire's heliport with a tiltrotor? Barbour was reluctant to be pinned on price, as the 609 isn't yet certified. He also admitted that a tiltrotor would naturally cost more to maintain and run than an ordinary helicopter or business jet - but not as much as having both. All he would say was that Bell/Agusta "aim to be competitive - over the life of the aircraft - with business jets and helicopters now selling in the $18-23 million range."
Considering the military version runs about $119 million per copy -- with more than $55 billion in research, development, and acquisitions costs, not to mention crashes which have costs the lives of 30 --that sounds like quite a bargan for the CEO on the go.
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