Bell 429 helicopter unveiled at Singapore Airshow

The Bell 429, the world’s latest helicopter, has made its debut at the Singapore Airshow.

Bell 429 photo

The light, twin-engine Bell 429 is made by Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Incorporated.

According to John L Garrison, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter, the Bell 429 represents the company’s commitment to the commercial helicopter market and also to “investing in delivering aircraft and services, which bring greater value to our customers.”

Photo: Bell 429 helicopter interior

The Bell 429 helicopter – which was certified in the middle of 2009 by the authorities of the United States, Canada and Europe – is set to enter service within a few weeks. Its first customer, Air Methods Corporation, will operate the Bell 429 aircraft for Mercy One, the emergency medical service (EMS) operator based in Des Moines, Iowa, the United States.

The “standard-setting” Bell 429 helicopter has several novel features, according to the manufacturer. The s features include a design certified to the latest requirements of the airworthiness-related authorities; the only EASA-approved maintenance programme in the helicopter industry and the only one based on Maintenance Steering Group 3 (MSG-3) practices; a performance which, when compared to typical helicopters in its class, provides nearly 20%  more useful load at altitude on a hot day, over 30% more climb rate at maximum gross weight from sea level on a standard day, as well as higher demonstrated takeoff and landing altitudes

In a statement, Bell Helicopter said it developed many of the design features of the Bell 429 with input from the customer advisory boards. This has resulted in a highly flexible cabin space, which can be customised to individual customer requirements – be it as an offshore oil and gas support aircraft, an air ambulance, VIP transport, or other applications.

It was in February 2005 that Bell Helicopter announced the Bell 429, a new model that boasted single-pilot IFR capability, a 130-cubic-foot passenger cabin, plus a 74-cubic-foot baggage area.

The passenger cabin and the baggage area can be combined to accommodate 2 stretchers, plus four individuals in any combination of emergency medical service personnel and crew.

The cockpit area increases the helicopter’s total interior volume to 232 cubic feet.

For executive transport, the Bell 429, says the company, can comfortably seat 6 passengers in the aft cabin, in addition to a pilot and a passenger in the cockpit.

For VIP serviced, the cabin of the Bell 429 can be fitted with 4 seats, each 21.5 inches wide.

The large cabin, the company claims, also makes the Bell 429 helicopter ideal for utility work like offshore operations and law-enforcement.

The cabin of the Bell 429, which is modular, has a variety of optional ‘kits’ depending on the requirements of each customer – a concept derived from Bell’s Modular Affordable Product Line (MAPL) programme, which was advanced by 3 years specifically for the Bell 429, the statement from Bell Helicopter explained.

Bob Fitzpatrick, senior vice-president (business development and commercial programmes) of Bell Helicopter said in the statement that the size and weight of the new light, twin-engine Bell 429 puts it in the FAR Part 27 category (7,000-pound maximum gross weight or less), along with the Agusta A109 and the Eurocopter EC135 helicopters.

However, according to Fitzpatrick, the cabin volume of the Bell 429 compares favorably with the larger Part 29 (maximum gross weight of less than 20,000 pounds, but 10 or more passengers) category, in which is included the MD902 and the EC145 helicopters.

According to Bell Helicopter, the cabin floor of the Bell 429 is 7% larger than that of the EC135 helicopter and 21% larger than that of the A109G (see photo above). The baggage-bay volume of the Bell 429 is 91% larger than that of the both the A109G and the EC135.

The Bell 429, says Bob Fitzpatrick, is only slightly smaller than the EC145, and that Bell Helicopter considers both the EC135 and EC145 helicopters as the primary competition of the Bell 429.

The company said it had received over 300 Letters of Intent for the Bell 429 even before the certification of the new model and that 60% of the Letters of Intent was from outside North America.