Cahokia, Illinois-based Helicopters Inc. signed a purchase order for two Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xs on Wednesday at Heli-Expo 2018. The operator flies 70 aircraft in 35 cities and will use the 505s for electronic newsgathering operations.
“We are excited about taking delivery of its first Bell 505 in May," said Helicopters Inc. president and CEO Parker Condie. "During our evaluation, we experienced first-hand the performance characteristics that we feel will make this a great newsgathering helicopter. Our pilots especially loved the new design of the cockpit. The visibility is the best of any Bell product to date, providing the pilot with an added measure of safety."
The 505 is powered by a Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine and features a Garmin G1000H integrated flight deck.