Bell has appointed Chinook Helicopters as the first authorized Bell 505 dealership in Canada. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in British Columbia, Chinook offers helicopter and fixed-wing pilot training and has hosted students from more than 68 countries. It has four engineered in-house certified simulators and is fully accredited with onsite examiners. It also is an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO).
“With our 42-year history of flying Bell helicopters, we are enthusiastic about our relationship with a world-leading aircraft manufacturer and genuinely thrilled to be working alongside them,” said Cathy Press, CEO, Chinook Helicopters.
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. Bell delivered its 505th 505 in November 2023.