What's new
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Bell

it was happy, yet sad, to hear today, that Bell's new entry is looking very much like a 120, same tail and fenestron, same rear baggage door, same landing gear...

Good though that they kept the same looking nose as a jetranger. Got to keep the product identity noticeable.
 
As a strong Bell supporter, I have to say how dissapointed I was with their presence at HAI. I came down to kick some skids/wheels and found....

2 - 407's
1-412
and 1 partial - 427i mock-up in their booth ! and a very poor 427i medical mockup in the static display area.

Agusta/Bell did have the AB139 there.

There were a scattering of 206B3's, a 430, a police 407, and an L3 plus several modified 205's (including the PT-6 variant) around other booths, but it was a poor showing by Bell.

I'm sorry to say that EC kicked their a$$ as far as displays :down:
 
Ya, I did.... I bumped it on one of the dozens of EC' displays there 😀 😀
 
Yea but look at the bright side 407 it didn't hurt cause there all plastic... 😱

Bells are like a fine wine, better appreceiated with age! 😉
 
Didn't Bell say in 2002 "The New Bell is back!" Quote from John Murphey. If this is the new Bell?............
 
If Bell engineers have any brains, they'll build an 120 lookalike but without the stupid stuff eurocopter put in it: more power, front windows that can be replaced without a special bonding process and a three day curing wait (whatever happened to good ol screws and nuts??) and so on. I've been bad mouthing Bell eversince I started working on Astars but I have to admit Eurocpter came up with some pretty idiotic ideas on what should otherwise have been a revolutionary helicopter!!! The EC120 is pretty a pretty spiffy A/C but not very bush friendly.
Hopefully Bell will keep our industry in mind as they design these new helicpopters instead of catering to the American "airport to airport" market, like all the other manufacturers do!
And another thing, there should be a law that prohibits any helicopter from having a main rotor head design that doesn't allow for blades removal in 50 seconds or less!!!
(think Astars people!!!!!!!)
Anyway, end of rant!! 😀
 
At least with Bell there isn't a new AD coming out every other day....the 350's have been out since the late 70's and there is still AD after AD coming out. We took delivery of three of them when I was Kenting in 79/80 and even then there was a wack of AD's.


HBD.....
 
Highbladedown,
Did you forget about the 407?
The early A-stars were engined with American Lycomings? Why ruin a perfectly good helicopter with a useless tank engine! :down:
 
Nothing out yet, even on justhelicopters. Newspapers have reported that the 407 accident happened at 02:19 AM in heavy thundershowers/lightning/rain, but no indication if it was weather, mechanical or ??

1725976_BG1.jpg
 
I heard that weather was the cause. It was a patient transfer. There was one survivor, a nurse. The pilot, medic, mother of patient and baby were all killed. Really a very sad situation.
 
Though we don't know the exact details of this incident, it does sound similar to many other past tragedies in the U.S....

night VFR
medevac for profit
bad weather
unlit landscape
single pilot
single engine

It all sounds as scary as a certain Helicopter Pilots Association I have heard of.....
I don't want to sign-on for either.
 
Read in a press article that the NTSB believe things were turning and working when it crashed - just their initial scene exam....
 
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