Helicopters are very convenient and fast that's why 3D artists love them. You can find plenty of helicopter 3D models on the internet. Let's check one of the most popular helicopters Agusta Westland 109.
The Italian company Constructional Aeronautics Giovanni Agusta, which licensed American Bell 47 and 206 helicopters and Sikorsky S-61 helicopters, began to develop its helicopter for civilian and military use in the late 1960s. A helicopter with one pilot was supposed to carry 7 passengers with luggage at a cruising speed of 200 mph over a distance of 370 miles.
The helicopter should easily be transformed into a medical ambulance for the carriage of two patients on stretchers with their accompanying doctor and orderly. It was envisaged the creation of military helicopters for the army and navy.The main differences of A 109 were: a retractable tricycle landing gear with nasal support, a four-blade aluminum carrying screw with Nomex sheathing and a swept keel with a double-bladed tail rotor installed on the left side. It's important to notice if you are modeling the A 109 helicopter 3D model.
The first flight of the first four 109A helicopters took place on August 4, 1971, but soon it was damaged due to earth resonance and the tests were continued in 1972 with the second experienced helicopter, the third prototype helicopter was for military use, and the fourth for civil. One of the experienced helicopters crashed in November 1975. In June 1975, certification of civilian A.109A helicopters was held out in Italy and the United States.
Initially, A 109 was equipped with one Turbomeca Astazou XII gas turbine engine with a capacity of 690 liters. s, but in 1967 it was replaced by two significantly more reliable gas turbine engines - Allison 250С14 with a capacity of 370 liters.
At the same time during the civilian version production, a multipurpose military modification of the helicopter was held too, but in 1969, this work was stopped. All efforts were concentrated on the development of the civil eight-seat variant A 109C Hirundo. The first of the three prototypes took off on August 4, 1970, but the deliveries of the serial helicopters, which received the designation A109A, began only in 1976.
Interesting that most popular helicopter 3D models are military.
During the licensed production of helicopters of foreign designs, the Italian firm Agusta started to design and produce the Agusta A 109 helicopter independently. This transport became the first helicopter of the company built by the mass series. Helicopter A 109 was developed under the requirements of the civil sector of the market, but the armed forces of some countries also purchased it.
The first production helicopter of the Italian design had commercial success not only as a comfortable passenger car but also as a sanitary, transport and searched and rescue. Such models are popular among 3D artists; they like to paint 109 3D models in different colors that are related to services or flight companies.
Several armed forces of different countries purchased helicopters A 109 because it was very convenient to transport. The Argentine army bought four helicopters (two of them captured the British forces in the Falklands in 1982), later Argentina acquired two more vehicles. The captured Argentine helicopters were used by the 2nd regiment of the British Army Corps of Aviation and were used mainly to support the actions of the SAS (Special Air Service). So don't be surprised if you will find such A 109 3D models with different flags on the internet.
Since September 1981, the essential civil modification of A 109A Mk II was made. They have added reinforced gearbox, a new tail rotor shaft, modified tail boom designs and a pilot's cockpit. In 1989, a "wide body" version of the A 109C appeared, where the reducer was reworked, and the passenger cabin was made more spacious and comfortable. One such helicopter entered the arsenal of the 31st Air Regiment of the Air Force of Italy; it was used as a presidential car.
This legendary machine and many other helicopter 3D models you can find on the Flatpyramid marketplac.