Launched at the 2014 Heli-Expo in Los Angeles, the 505 features a 505shp Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine with dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC), a high inertia rotor system, and the Garmin G1000H avionics suite.
It has a maximum cruising speed of 125kt, a range of 306nm and a useful load of 1,500lb, plus a fully-integrated glass Garmin G1000H avionics suite and five forward-facing seats.
Six Bell 505s have been delivered to customers in Australia and New Zealand to date, with seven more expected by the end of 2018.
The first Australian delivery of the Bell 505 took place in December, when two aircraft arrived at Hawker Pacific’s Bankstown Airport facility for Nautilus Aviation.
Nautilus was using the two red coloured 505s, registered VH-VSB and VH-VTB, for training, charter and tourism operations.
“We see the 505 as having the benefits of the 206 history crossed with the Airbus comfort and performance,” Nautilus Aviation and SAR Helicopters Australia chief executive Aaron Finn told Australian Aviation at the time.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) issued Bell with its Australian Jet Ranger X type certification on March 1 2017.
In April, Hawker Pacific was acquired by business aviation services company Jet Aviation for US$250 million (A$322 million).
Jet Aviation is part of United States-headquartered aerospace and defence giant General Dynamics, which is the parent company of Gulfstream.
VIDEO: The first two Bell 505s in Australia were delivered to Nautilus Aviation`
