Jetranger Vs 505

One of the most well known airframes in the aviation sphere is the Bell 206B Jetranger, and there are not many enthusiast young or old who wouldn't have it in their vocabulary. It started it's life as a failed bid in the Light Observation Helicopter tender for the US Military (It lost out to the Hughes 500) in 1960, and continued its production until 2010, with over 4,000 models in active service.

Due to changing market demands, Bell Helicopters shifted their production focus to the 206L Longranger and 407 Models, however the Bell 505 was also born. A 5 place, twin bladed, Arrius 2R powered, twin FADEC glass cockpit Single Light Helicopter, drawn from the Jetranger foundations but the similarities are few.

The drive system and rotor setup are identical to that in the 206L4, chosen due to its proven track record in providing better auto-rotations and smooth landings fro its high inertia rotor. The similarities however stop there, the glass cockpit is what sets itself apart from others in its class incorporating the Garmin G1000H setup; delivering traffic alerts, highway in the sky, terrain awareness and synthetic vision.

Zero cabin bulkhead, unlike the 206 and clamshell doors on the Co-pilot side, a brand new Arrius 2R engine delivering 500hp+ means the 505 is set to be a very capable aircraft. It is no gimmick however, Bell sat with upto 20 operaotes to understand and define the requirements of the customer in order to get the 505 off the drawing board.

The prototypes were expected in the air in 2014, however I am yet to hear of any in the UK. I Imagine it will be a considerable time, within our present climate before we see UK Operators replacing their Jetranger fleet. What do you think?

#bell #jetranger #helicopter #aviate #poloaviation #aviation #pilot