Airwork (NZ)’s BK117-850D2 has taken to the skies over Australia and New Zealand, with approval in Europe and America set to follow.

Flight Structures has led a highly successful certification program for the BK-117B-2, which concluded May 2010 with the issue of a NZCAA Supplementary Type Certificate. Flight Structures has worked closely with Airwork (NZ) and Honeywell on the development of the BK117-850D2, which incorporates the latest technology 850 hp engines from Honeywell, with spectacular performance results that have exceeded expectations.
One of the most challenging aspects of the program was the determination and validation of improved performance. For this Flight Structures Ltd designed and developed a computer based performance model to map the engine installation, rotor performance, and airframe aerodynamics to predict all aspects of the performance envelope.

Flight Structures flight test engineers validated the calculated performance over several month of testing, culminating in flawless demonstrations of Category A vertical take-off simulated engine failures at maximum certified weight on a hot summers day.

The successful management of this project has shown that Flight Structures has the knowledge, experience, and capacity to deal with large-scale international projects, and deliver quality results on time with excellent value for money.

Flight Structures continues to work with Airwork (NZ) on EASA and FAA approval of the BK117-850D2 expected late 2010/early 2011.