Jet Ranger X Makes First Flight

The first Bell 505 Jet Ranger X logged a 30-minute maiden flight yesterday from the company’s manufacturing facility in Mirabel, Québec. Bell Helicopter unveiled the next-generation five-seat light turbine single, shaped largely by input from a customer advisory council, at Heli-Expo in February and has already received letters of intent for more than 240 copies.

Company senior test pilots Yann Lavalle and Eric Emblin hovered the new helicopter, assessed low-speed controllability and then took it to 60 knots. “The Bell 505 performed exactly as anticipated,” said Lavalle. “I am excited to be a part of the history of the JetRanger legacy, an aircraft that defined the market nearly 50 years ago.” According to Emblin, they flew two laps of the local traffic pattern during the maiden jaunt.

Powered by a Turbomeca Arrius 2R Fadec turboshaft, the Jet Ranger X features a high-visibility cockpit equipped with Garmin G1000H avionics. Safety features include a high-inertia rotor system that delivers “superior autorotation capabilities.”

The 505 is one of three new aircraft currently under development at Bell Helicopter. It is also developing the fly-by-wire 525 Relentless medium twin and V-280 Valor tiltrotor.