Bell has delivered its 505th Model 505 Jet Ranger X turbine single, handing over the milestone helcopter to North American operator Austin Claborn. The aircraft will be configured for corporate transportation. The delivery ceremony took place at the Bell Textron Canada facility in Mirabel, Quebec, where the company assembles its commercial helicopters. Calborn has operated Bell 505s since 2021.
Certified by Transport Canada in 2016 and now operating on six continents, the Bell 505 has accumulated more than 185,000 flight hours. The five-seat helicopter features the Garmin G1000H NXi digital avionics system and a dual-channel Fadec Safran Arrius 2R engine. The aircraft cruises at 125 knots and has a maximum useful load of 1,500 pounds.
“The technology in the cockpit makes the aircraft incredibly reliable and easy to fly,” said Claborn. “The team at Bell has been exemplary in their dedication to customer service.”
The 505th delivery comes one week after the delivery of the first five of 10 Bell 505s to the Royal Jordanian Air Force to support basic and advanced rotorcraft flight training at the King Hussein Air College in Mafraq, Jordan.