Top speed 232 km/h Manufacturer Bell Helicopter | First flight November 10, 2014 | |
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Bell 505 jet ranger x glass cockpit
The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X (JRX) is an American/Canadian light helicopter currently under development by Bell Helicopter. The Bell 505 was unveiled at the 2013 Paris Airshow in June 2013 as the Bell SLS (Short Light Single). The Bell 505 designation was officially announced in February 2014. Its first flight occurred on November 11, 2014. The helicopter was certified by Transport Canada in December 2016.
Contents
- Bell 505 jet ranger x glass cockpit
- Bell 505 jet ranger x flight test vehicle 3 first flight
- Design and development
- Specifications
- References
Bell 505 jet ranger x flight test vehicle 3 first flight
Design and development
The helicopter was unveiled at the 2013 Paris Airshow on June 17, 2013 as the Bell SLS (Short Light Single). The model designation was later announced at HAI Heli-Expo 2014 in Anaheim, California on February 25, 2014.
The Bell 505 is a "clean sheet" design, but will use some dynamic components, such as the rotor system, of the Bell 206L-4. The airframe is to be constructed of metal and composites, and has a 22-square-foot (2.04 m²) flat floor and an 18-cubic-foot (0.51 m³) luggage bay. The Turbomeca Arrius 2R will be utilized as the type's engine with a dual-channel FADEC and a 3,000-hour Time-between-overhaul. The 505 cockpit will be equipped with the Garmin G1000H glass avionics suite. It is prepared for extras like a cargo hook.
Main production was to start in 2016 in an 82,300-square-foot (7,646 m²), $26.3 million hangar facility at Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana, but the tooling is prepared for assembly in different places in the world. Louisiana offered $8 million in support for 250 new jobs, and started construction of the factory in August 2014 which will then be leased to Bell. The factory opened in August 2015. On May 19, 2016, Bell Helicopter CEO Mitch Snyder announced changes to the production supply chain that include relocating the Bell 505 production to Bell Helicopter's assembly and distribution center in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. The Lafayette Assembly Center, which was specifically designed to manufacture and deliver the 505, will instead complete Bell 525 sub-assemblies and perform work on Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout UAVs.
Initial assembly, flight testing and certification is to start in Canada while the factory is being built in the US. First flight went to 60 knots on November 11, 2014, and the second test aircraft flew in February 2015. Bell said they had 240 Letters of intent (LOI) (50 from Europe) for the 505 in October 2014, and in November Chinese tourism operator Reignwood increased their LOI from 10 to 60 of the type. In August 2015, Bell had 350 Letters of intent.
Certification by Transport Canada was awarded on December 21, 2016.
Specifications
Data from GBell, AVweb and Bell PR
General characteristics
Performance
