By the time you read this, it is likely that Bell Helicopter will have received Transport Canada type certification for its twin-turbine Bell 429 light helicopter. Though not quite as likely, the FAA might also have validated Transport Canada’s TC, since the U.S. agency has been following the process closely. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected to add its own validation a few weeks later, after EASA pilots do their own certification flight testing.
Anticipating the imminence of type certification, Bell Helicopter invited four aviation journalists to its assembly facility in Mirabel, Quebec, in May for Bell 429 briefings and demonstration flights. The flights took place in Bell 429 S/N 57002 (C-FTNB), which the company brought to the Paris Air Show last month to fly in the daily flight display and provide more demonstration flights. This “mostly production aircraft” will eventually be sold to a customer.
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