Bell announces delivery of 500th Bell 429

At Farnborough 2024 Bell Textron announced the delivery of the 500th Bell 429 aircraft. The aircraft was delivered to Latin-America based operator, Mendes Group, and will be used for corporate transportation in Brazil. Bell 429 is one of the most advanced light twin helicopters in its class. It delivers exceptional speed, range and hover performance, and offers operators a state-of-the-art single pilot IFR helicopter with top user-rated in-service support. The powerful and reliable Bell 429 serves the full spectrum of segments including air medical, public safety, oil & gas, utility, and corporate.

John Ramos, managing director, Latin America commented: “Bell is proud to celebrate the 500th delivery to Group Mendes with their fourth Bell 429. The Bell 429 platform holds a remarkable performance reputation with a growing global footprint and will greatly add to Mendes Group’s capabilities.” 

Danny Maldonado, Chief Commercial Officer, Bell stated: “The 500th delivery of the Bell 429 marks a significant, historic achievement for the platform and serves as a testament to the value it provides our global customer base. The Bell 429 fleet continues to grow across all mission segments, specifically for corporate travel, public safety and emergency medical transportation. Throughout the aircraft’s history, Bell has introduced numerous platform enhancements to exceed mission requirements.” 

Recently, the global Bell 429 has surpassed 735,000 total fleet hours, including a Guiness Book world-record breaking global circumnavigation performed by W.R. “Bob” Dengler and Steven Dengler in 2017. 

Bell 429 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207D1/D2 engines that provide customers with rugged dependability and excellent operating economics. The aircraft delivers exceptional flight performance and a fully integrated glass cockpit, advanced drive system and best-in-class SBAS navigation and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) capability. It is the first helicopter certified through the MSG-3 process, resulting in reduced maintenance costs for operators. The Bell 429 also features a spacious cabin and extra-large 60-inch side doors, as well as IFR capability, certified for single or dual pilot operations.

The aircraft acceptance took place at the Bell Textron Canada Ltd. facility in Mirabel, Quebec where Bell’s highly skilled employees are responsible for Bell’s current commercial production line, including the Bell 505, Bell 407GXi, Bell 429 and SUBARU Bell 412EPX. To date, the company has built and delivered more than 5,800 commercial helicopters.