Bell might be entering the home stretch on its 525 super-medium twin program. The helicopter OEM recently announced that it had completed noise testing to satisfy FAA Part 36 certification standards during a series of sorties conducted over Bakersfield, California.
The test aircraft flew 16 hours over the course of five days for both company noise testing and to satisfy certification requirements. Flights included Level 4 flight flyover test points, approaches, and takeoffs and were supported by 14 members of Bell’s flight test team. Significantly, a Bell spokesman told AIN that the company “is heavily involved with the FAA in the certification of the 525, with no additional plans for off-site activities at this time.”
Announced in 2012, the Bell 525 Relentless is powered by two 1,714-shp GE Aviation CT7-2F1 turboshafts, has a 160-knot maximum cruise speed, a range of 580 nm (no reserves), a maximum gross weight of 20,500 pounds, and seating for up to 16 passengers. Originally envisioned primarily to serve the once-lucrative offshore energy market, Bell more recently has been promoting the fly-by-wire 525 for a variety of executive, parapublic, and military missions.