Whoo-hoo! A bit more
from Canadian Press, shared with the usual disclaimer...
Canadian military chopper makes brief test flight; still behind schedule
Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press, 18 Nov 08
The long-awaited first flight of Canada's new navy helicopter occurred over the weekend in Florida in a step builder Sikorsky Corp. called "a huge milestone."
The Cyclone helicopters still aren't equipped, though, with vital mission systems - the on-board computers that will allow them to perform military missions.
The first Cyclone was supposed to be delivered by January 2009, but the Defence Department has stated the aircraft has been delayed until the middle of 2010 due to changes in its design.
A Defence spokesman said Tuesday the successful test flight doesn't mean delivery has been moved up.
Sikorksy, in a news release, said the Cyclone hovered during the test flight and accomplished low-speed handling tasks, including forward flight at 48 kilometres per hour, and side and rear movement.
The flight lasted about 30 minutes.
"The helicopter, Tail No. 801, will continue to undergo a series of increasingly demanding flight tests leading up to certification and production deliveries," the company said.
"Sikorsky will build 28 CH-148 helicopters for the Canadian government."
Dan Hunter, an executive at Sikorsky, said in the news release that the flight "represents a huge milestone, transitioning the program from the prototype build to the flight test stage."
"The aircraft performed beautifully, easily achieving each manoeuvre attempted. We're extremely pleased."
The ship-based helicopter will be used for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, and troop and cargo transport ....
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