The Bell 429 Makes Successful Flying Debut at Recent Heli-Expo
Bell Helicopter provided a summary of the customer demonstration flights held during the Heli-Expo convention that ended Tuesday, February 24th.
The Bell 429 demonstrator flew 220 customers on 35 flights during the show, accumulating 16 flight hours with 100 percent reliability. Over the course of three days, customers representing Emergency Medical (EMS), offshore, corporate/utility and foreign military from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East all flew in the helicopter.
Customer comments were universally positive regarding the power of the helicopter, its great climb rate, and the exceptional visibility and roominess of the cabin. Several of the pilots commented that the controls had a very nice feel to them and the aircraft had excellent stability.
Bob Fitzpatrick, sr. vice president of Business Development and Commercial Programs stated, "The 429 is proving to be all we said it would be and we are as anxious to start delivering this outstanding aircraft to our customers as they are to put it into service."
Bell saw strong interest during the show in the use of the 429 for offshore oil and gas missions in Africa and EMS missions in China, showing the capability of this helicopter to expand into previously untapped markets.
Certification is expected around the middle of this year, with customer deliveries beginning by the end of the year.
More from Defence Helicopter
-
![Royal Navy helicopter crews transfer control of UAS in European first]()
Royal Navy helicopter crews transfer control of UAS in European first
Using technology supplied by QinetiQ, two Royal Navy helicopter crews successfully exchanged control of a UAS while in flight.
-
![Leonardo wins Canadian helicopter upgrade programme]()
Leonardo wins Canadian helicopter upgrade programme
The upgrade contract will ensure that the Candian helicopters are compliant with future technological requirements.
-
![Guatemala receives Bell Subaru helicopters]()
Guatemala receives Bell Subaru helicopters
The latest version of the Bell 412 helicopter has improved performance and weight capacity and will support Guatemala in various missions.
-
![Algeria expresses interest in AW249 while AW139 deal remains in limbo]()
Algeria expresses interest in AW249 while AW139 deal remains in limbo
Leonardo and Algeria hope to seal the AW139 deal in 2023 while Italy and the North African country further strengthen defence ties.
-
![Nigeria to receive new attack helicopters]()
Nigeria to receive new attack helicopters
The Nigerian Air Force is to receive more than 50 attack air assets to strengthen its ability to fight insecurity within its borders.
-
![Royal Navy upgrades Merlin helicopters]()
Royal Navy upgrades Merlin helicopters
The Royal Navy's amphibious helicopters have received an improved defensive aid suit and Merlin pilots can now train in a synthetic training environment.
