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Bell celebrates 505th Bell 505 helicopter delivery
November 20, 2023 By Helicopters Staff
The aircraft was delivered to North America-based operator Austin Claborn, and will be configured for corporate transportation. (Photo: Bell) Aerospace manufacturer Bell Textron Inc. has delivered the 505th Bell 505 aircraft to North America-based operator Austin Claborn.
The aircraft will be configured for corporate transportation.
“To mark this historic program milestone, Bell wanted to ensure the 505th delivery was a memorable event for our many employees that have worked on this program, our suppliers and our Bell 505 customers,” said Lane Evans, director, North America Sales. “The Bell 505 was designed to provide customers with unmatched cost-of-operations and performance for its value. Mr. Claborn has been a Bell 505 operator since 2021 and with the upgrade to the latest platform variant, Bell is proud the aircraft continues to live up to our customer’s expectations.”
Certified by Transport Canada in 2016, the Bell 505 is one of Bell’s fastest growing commercial programs to date. The aircraft’s fleet has surpassed more than 185,000 flight hours with aircraft operating on six continents worldwide.
The delivery ceremony took place at the Bell Textron Canada Ltd. facility in Mirabel, Quebec.
To date, the company has built and delivered more than 5,800 commercial helicopters.
With a speed of 125 knots and useful load of 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms), the Bell 505 is Bell’s new five-seat aircraft featuring advanced avionics technology and a dual channel FADEC Safran Arrius 2R engine.
