Horizon International Flight Academy to become the largest operator of Bell 505 trainer helicopters in the world

Thanks to the purchase agreement signed today, Horizon International Flight Academy to become the largest operator of Bell 505 trainer helicopters in the world. Bell Textron will deliver 12 Bell 505 helicopters. Based at Al Ain International Airport Zone and purpose-built for flight training, Horizon International Flight Academy uses its Bell-only fleet to provide unparalleled flight training to local and international students for the civilian and military sector.

Hareb Thani Al Dhaheri, chief executive officer, Horizon, stated, “The addition of single-engine glass cockpits will enable us to meet the latest technology needs of aspiring pilots and will prepare them to fly with modern helicopters when they are back to their units.”

“It is an incredible privilege to work with the fantastic team at Horizon International Flight Academy” said Sameer Rehman, Bell managing director for Africa and the Middle East. “Horizon has been a regional force in training helicopter pilots, and its choice of the Bell 505 will further enhance its offering with new technology aircraft. It is an honor to play a part in Horizon’s state-of-the-art training, shaping the pilots of tomorrow on an all-Bell fleet of Bell 206s, Bell 407s, and Bell 429s.”

“The Bell 505’s unique capabilities and efficient operation make it an ideal trainer,” said Ian Darcy, senior vice president, Hawker-Pacific, Bell Independent Representative. “There has been a lot of interest in the Bell 505 as a training aircraft due to its capability, affordability, maintainability and safety features.”

With over 200 delivered worldwide, the aircraft is already demonstrating excellent performance with customers all over the world. The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X incorporates the familiarity of the Jet Ranger family with new advanced avionics technology. The integrated glass cockpit enables pilots in training to experience modern controls on a single engine aircraft, enabling them to transition more easily to flying advanced aircraft, such as the Bell 429 twin-engine helicopter. Its reliability, speed, performance and maneuverability are integrated with a flat floor and open cabin that is configurable for a wide variety of missions and payloads.