Two Corporate Customers in Chile Sign Letter of Intent for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc.  company, announced two Bell 505 letter of intent (LOI) signings in Chile to two corporate customers. Both aircraft will be outfitted for corporate and VIP transport for flights throughout the region. These signings are a testament to the growing demand of this aircraft and brings the current LOI count to more than 350 worldwide and more than 75 throughout Latin America.

‎Bell Helicopter’s Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing Patrick Moulay and one of the customers signed a LOI for the Bell 505 at the FIDAE Airshow.

The second LOI signing took place during the course of the show to a private owner.

“The Bell 505 is ideally suited to fit the needs of the Latin American market, and we are pleased to see the growing numbers of customers signing for the aircraft,” said Patrick Moulay. “The Bell 505 offers an exceptional combination of value, performance and features available on the market, and fits a diverse mission set to serve every customer.”

The five-seat, single-engine, turbine helicopter leverages Bell Helicopter’s proven technology and nearly half a century of experience defining the short light single market with the original Bell JetRanger.

Three flight test vehicles have amassed more than 575 flight hours and work has begun to prepare for initial production at the Louisiana Assembly Center which opened last year in Lafayette, Louisiana. Additionally, engine partner Turbomecca received EASA type certification for the Arrius 2R engine which will power the Bell 505.

The Bell 505, which first flew November 10, 2014 and is equipped with a dual channel FADEC, the first in the short light single weight class, increasing safety through redundant engine controls and reducing pilot workload so they can focus on accomplishing the mission.  An integrated glass cockpit as part of the base configuration simplifies the cockpit for the crew, replacing mechanical dials with 10” flat screens allowing the crew to focus on the information they need for a given flight condition.