About six years after the first flight of Bell’s newest and largest civil helicopter, the 525 Relentless, its development and flight-test certification program is nearing an end. "Generally speaking, the plan is to complete our testing required for certification in the first half of this year,” Bell 525 senior program specialist Brendan Lanigan told AIN. “We’re actually running out of tests to perform. So that’s exciting for those of us that have been involved in the program for quite some time
Specifically, company flight testing is complete while ground endurance testing is 50 percent complete and FAA pilot testing is 65 percent complete, noted 525 program v-p Byron Ward during a conference call with reporters on March 24.
However, development of the 16-passenger super-medium helicopter hasn’t been easy, with the fatal, in-flight breakup of 525 flight test vehicle 1 in July 2016 as well as the introduction of new technology such as fly-by-wire in a helicopter that will be certified as Part 29. “In the Part 29 helicopter world, fly-by-wire wasn’t considered in those regulations,” Lanigan added. “There’s a lot of new ground that had to be charted.”
Lanigan declined to speculate on when FAA type certification for the twin-engine rotorcraft might happen. As of mid-March, the 525 flight-test program had accumulated a little more than 1,800 hours, which has provided Bell with knowledge of the helicopter’s performance in areas such as fuel burn, speed, and range capability, he said.
In addition to fly-by-wire, other features of the 525 include Garmin G5000 avionics that are “very intuitive to use,” Lanigan explained. “Garmin is an expert in human factors…so we really used their expertise on the human factors side for the avionics to try to make an intuitive interface. Like on the touchscreen display, you don’t have to dial down into a million different folders to get to what you need. So there was a lot of effort to make this avionics system easy to use, displaying what pilots need to see when they need to see it.”
Another of the 525’s special features is the addition of a reduction gearbox outside of the main transmission, which reduces RPMs and eliminates the need for high-speed components in the main transmission. “So, if you did lose oil there’s less heat being generated, less stress to the system, so the system is going to perform better when it’s run dry,” Lanigan said. A “triplex” of redundant systems including electrical and hydraulic also increases the safety of the 525. “On a conventional twin-engine helicopter, if you lost one of your hydraulic systems you’re now one bad thing away from having a really bad day,” he said. “On the 525 you’ve gone from three to two…and you still have full control authority.”
Despite waning demand in the oil and gas sector for new offshore helicopters, Lanigan noted Bell has accounted for that and sees demand for the 525 in other sectors such as military, utility, and VIP. “The 525 was designed to be a multi-mission helicopter from day one,” he said. “So as far as the market shifting away from new oil and gas helicopters, that’s something we’re completely prepared to deal with.”
He added that there still is an opportunity in the oil and gas space because the super-medium and heavy helicopters used in that sector quickly reach a point where they reach high flight hours and need replacement. “In Norway, they can fly some of those helicopters up to 2,000 flight hours a year, which is a massive amount,” Lanigan said. The first 525 to be delivered to a commercial customer will be in an oil and gas configuration, Ward added. It and three other 525s are currently on the company's Amarillo, Texas, production line.
Also, demand to move people and equipment offshore isn’t reserved just for the oil and gas sector. The renewable energy market, specifically offshore wind farms, will need air transport for people and equipment as that sector grows. “So we see that as a potential market for 525 and for Bell at large,” he said.
‘SUV of the Sky’
On the light single end of the civil market, Bell is seeing “fairly strong demand” in all regions of the world for its 505 Jet Ranger X, Bell 505 marketing manager Matt Jayne told AIN. The company is approaching its 300th delivery of the 505, which Jayne said is operating in or about to be delivered in 57 countries.
First type certificated in Canada in late 2016 followed by FAA and EASA certification a year later, the $1.5 million 505 has found its strongest demand around the “private, corporate market,” followed by utility, flight tour, and public safety operators, Jayne said. “We kind of jokingly call it the SUV of the sky because a lot of these guys are using it for work Monday through Friday and then on Saturday and Sunday, they’re off using it for camping or biking or hiking or snowshoeing,” he added. “It’s become like the all-purpose utility vehicle in the sky.”
The largest fleet operator of the 505 is Horizon Flight Academy in Abu Dhabi, which operates 12 copies. All told, the global 505 fleet has amassed more than 60,000 flight hours.
The 505’s G1000 avionics with Fadec is likely its most popular feature with operators. “It just makes it easier to jump in and fly and not have to worry about all these little specifics (such as manual start and manual throttle control) that come with other more complex or older helicopters,” Jayne said. Among the other improvements with the 505 is an optional cargo hook that allows operators to carry up to 2,000 pounds compared with older Jet Rangers that could only carry 1,500 pounds with a cargo hook.
About six years after the first flight of Bell’s newest and largest civil helicopter, the 525 Relentless, its development and flight test certification program is nearing an end. "Generally speaking, the plan is to complete our testing required for certification in the first half of this year,” Bell 525 senior program specialist Brendan Lanigan told AIN. “We’re actually running out of tests to perform. So that’s exciting for those of us that have been involved in the program for quite some time.”
However, development of the 16-passenger super-medium helicopter hasn’t been easy, with the fatal, in-flight breakup of the 525 flight test vehicle 1 in July 2016 as well as the introduction of new technology such as fly-by-wire in a helicopter that will be certified as Part 29. “In the Part 29 helicopter world, fly-by-wire wasn’t considered in those regulations,” Lanigan added. “There’s a lot of new ground that had to be charted.”
Lanigan declined to speculate on when FAA type certification for the twin-engined rotorcraft might happen. As of mid-March, the 525 flight test program had accumulated a little more than 1,800 flight test hours.
In addition to fly-by-wire, other features of the 525 include Garmin G5000 avionics that are “very intuitive to use,” Lanigan explained. “Garmin is an expert in human factors…so we really used their expertise on the human factors side for the avionics to try to make an intuitive interface. There was a lot of effort to make this avionics system easy to use.”
Another of the 525’s special features is the addition of a reduction gearbox outside of the main transmission, which reduces RPMs and eliminates the need for high-speed components in the main transmission. A “triplex” of redundant systems including electrical and hydraulic also increases the safety of the 525.
Despite waning demand in the oil and gas sector for new offshore helicopters, Lanigan noted Bell has accounted for that and sees demand for the 525 in other sectors such as military, utility, and VIP. “The 525 was designed to be a multi-mission helicopter from day one,” he said.
He added that there still is an opportunity in the oil and gas space because the super-medium and heavy helicopters used in that sector quickly reach a point where they reach high flight hours and need replacement. Also, the renewable energy market, specifically offshore wind farms, will need air transport for people and equipment as that sector grows.
On the light single end of the civil market, Bell is seeing “fairly strong demand” in all regions of the world for its 505 Jet Ranger X, Bell 505 marketing manager Matt Jayne told AIN. The company is approaching its 300th delivery of the 505, which is operating in or about to be delivered in 57 countries.
First type certificated in Canada in late 2016 followed by FAA and EASA certification a year later, the $1.5 million 505 has found its strongest demand around the “private, corporate market,” followed by utility, flight tour, and public safety operators, Jayne said. “It’s become like the all-purpose utility vehicle in the sky.”
The largest fleet operator of the 505 is Horizon Flight Academy in Abu Dhabi, which operates 12 copies.