On January 13, 2026, an AW 609 tiltrotor aircraft performed a series of ILS procedures at Turin/Caselle and Cuneo/Levaldigi Airports. Your Aeromedia editor-in-chief photographed it from his "private control tower" in Mirafiori. In September 1998, Agusta became a partner in the development programmes of the Bell 609 tiltrotor aircraft and the Bell 139 conventional medium helicopter. This led to the establishment of a joint venture named Bell-Agusta Aerospace Company (BAAC), to develop and manufacture both aircraft, which were initially named Bell-Agusta BA 609 and AB 139. In June 2011, AgustaWestland, as the company became as of 2000, assumed full ownership of both programmes, which consequently took on the new designations AW 609 and AW 139. Six prototypes of the tiltrotor aircraft were built: the first N609TR (c/n 60001 built in 2000-2003 and first flight on March 7, 2003) later cancelled from the FAA register, the second N609AG (c/n 60002 built in 2003 and first flight on November 9, 2006) lost in Tronzano Vercellese on October 30, 2015, the third N609PA (c/n 63003 built in 2016), the fourth N609PH (c/n 63004 built in 2019), the fifth N609LH (c/n 63005 built in 2020) and the sixth N609LE (c/n 63006 built in 2022). The interest in the aircraft expressed over the years by various potential customers does not appear to have been followed up.
In the picture: AgustaWestland Philadelphia AW 609 N609PH (c/n 63004 built in 2019), owned by the manufacturer, approaching the Turin/Caselle Airport on Januar 13, 2026. (Aeromedia)
(Aeromedia, January 2026)
