The mills of officialdom grind slowly -- and that can be particularly
galling for a company displaying at an airshow when the certification
paperwork for its latest product is progressing across the desks
of Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities. U.S.-Italian Bell/Agusta's
AB139 utility helicopter was unveiled at a mockup at the 1999
Paris Salon, flew in February 2001 and first appeared on the show
circuit last year, at Farnborough. Its creators are just bursting
to announce the type's JAR-29 certification, which is predicted
to arrive perhaps as early as next week. Approval by the FAA will
follow swiftly. Five AB139s have been built, but the busy development
program means that Bell/Agusta could only spare a couple of mockups
for showing here.
