Sat, Oct 27, 2007
Final Exterior Profile Locked Down
Officials from Bell Helicopter announced this week the
completion of another major milestone in the development of the
Bell 429, Bell's new advanced-technology helicopter. The 429 team
has set or "frozen" the final exterior profile design, verified
through months of development flight testing.
"This is one of the most significant events in the development
of an aircraft. This means our design meets the aesthetic and
in-flight handling specifications we set long ago," said Robert
Fitzpatrick, senior vice president for Marketing and Sales. "These
are specifications we promised we would deliver to our customers.
This moves us much closer to our certification and beginning
delivery goal of the end of 2008."
Since the introduction of the twin-engine 429 at Heli-Expo 2005,
two prototypes have accumulated over 400 hours of rigorous flight
testing. One aircraft is in Colorado performing high altitude
testing and the other is in Arizona doing high temperature testing.
To date Bell has received over 240 customer purchase agreements for
the Bell 429.
With first delivery slated to occur at the end of 2008, Bell
plans to ramp production to 60 aircraft per year by 2011.
Bell believes its targeted market segments have found the
aircraft design well-suited for their applications. The performance
specifications, low operating costs and onboard advanced technology
equipment make the 429 extremely adept at typical helicopter
missions flown today.
For example, it is particularly suited for the emergency medical
evacuation mission with a large cabin, easy access doors and a
rear-door entry option. Also, law enforcement agencies have found
that the 429 will efficiently carry the people and equipment
necessary for their vital missions.
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