The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X (JRX) is an American/Canadian light helicopter developed and manufactured by Bell Helicopter. The Bell 505 was unveiled at the 2013 Paris Airshow in June 2013 as the Bell SLS (Short Light Single). The Bell 505 designation was officially announced in February 2014. Its first flight occurred on November 11, 2014. The helicopter was certified by Transport Canada in December 2016. By 2023 about 500 have been sold, popular uses so far include for personal, sightseeing, law enforcement, and training.
A Bell 505 mockup in 2015Bell 505 on trailer, 2017Cabin with doors openA Bell 505 belonging to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office
The helicopter was unveiled at the 2013 Paris Airshow on June 17, 2013, as the Bell SLS (Short Light Single). The model designation was later announced at HAI Heli-Expo 2014 in Anaheim, California on February 25, 2014.[2][3][4]
The Bell 505 is a "clean sheet" design, but uses some dynamic components, such as the rotor system,[5] of the Bell 206L-4.[6] The airframe is constructed of metal and composites, and has a 22-square-foot (2.04 m2) flat floor and an 18-cubic-foot (0.51 m3) luggage bay.[7] The Safran Arrius 2R is used with a dual-channel FADEC and a 3,000-hour Time-between-overhaul.[8] The 505 cockpit is equipped with the Garmin G1000H glass avionics suite.[7][9][10] Various options such as a cargo hook are available.[5]
Main production started in 2016[5] in an 82,300-square-foot (7,646 m2), $26.3 million hangar facility at Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana,[11] but the tooling was created for assembly in different places in the world.[8] Louisiana offered $8 million in support for 250 new jobs,[11] and started construction of the factory in August 2014 which was then leased to Bell.[12] The factory opened in August 2015.[13]
On May 19, 2016, Bell Helicopter CEO Mitch Snyder announced changes to the production supply chain that included relocating the Bell 505 production to Bell Helicopter's assembly and distribution center in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. The Lafayette Assembly Center, which was specifically designed to manufacture and deliver the 505, will instead complete Bell 525 sub-assemblies and perform work on Northrop GrummanMQ-8C Fire Scout UAVs.[14]
Initial assembly, flight testing and certification started in Canada while the factory was being built in the US.[5] First flight went to 60 knots on November 11, 2014,[3] and the second test aircraft flew in February 2015.[15] Bell said they had 240 letters of intent (LOI) (50 from Europe) for the 505 in October 2014,[16] and in November Chinese tourism operator Reignwood increased their LOI from 10 to 60 of the type.[17] In August 2015, Bell had 350 letters of intent.[13]
In 2023, The Bell 505 was the first single-engine helicopter to fly using SAF fuel.[23]
Sales, production and operations
The first customer aircraft was delivered on March 7, 2017, to a private operator in Arizona, United States.[24] In February 2018, the first 505 was delivered to Japan.[25] The first 505 configured for law enforcement was delivered in 2018 to the Sacramento Police Department in California;the Police version has a number of enhancements including an Electro-Optic/Infrared sensor, searchlight, loudhailer, external hardpoints, and a higher skid gear.[24]
The Bell 505 has become a military training helicopter for several countries by 2023, including South Korea, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, UAE, Montenegro, and Jordan.[26]
The 505 was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in June 2017 and received high altitude certification (22,500 feet density altitude) in June 2019.[27][28][29] Bell delivered the 100th 505 Jet Ranger X in June 2018,[30] and the 200th in August 2019.[31] 360 (March 2022)[32] By November 2023, the 505th Bell 505 was delivered.[33]
Accidents and incidents
On 3 March 2019 a Bell 505 crashed shortly after taking off from Central Island National Park, Kenya. The pilot and four passengers were killed in the accident. Kyle Forti, an American political consultant, was one of the passengers that died in the crash.[34][35]
In 2022, on investigation of a fan shaft bearing failure lead to failure of tail shaft incident in Queensland, the Australian Authorities could not find deeper issue working with Bell, but did note that odd mechanical sounds can be a sign of imminent hardware failure.[36]
In early 2023, State-owned Vietnam Helicopters had a crash in the UNESCO World Heritage site Ha Long Bay, with five fatalities; this led to a suspension by the Civil Aviation Authority of heli tours in Vietnam.[37][38] The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport established a probe into the crash.[39] Hundreds of searchers were mobilized and the black box from the crashed Bell 505 was successfully recovered in April 2023.[40] The helicopter crashed in the water about 50 meters/yards from a fishing boat, and witness reported the helicopter was making a croaking sound and spiraling, before it impacted the water and exploded.[41] Bell and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada was in contact with the Vietnamese CAAV to aid for assistance; at the time of the crash the helicopter was flight certified in Vietnam, and also the US, Canada, and Europe.[42] The helicopter was flown by a pilot with a valid commercial license in Vietnam, who had successfully flown over 2600 trips, it was one of two Bell 505 operated by the sightseeing airline.[43]
A Bell 505 JRX crashed near Killucan, County Westmeath, Ireland on 30 July 2024. The helicopter's two occupants died in the crash.[44][45]
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