Following Transport Canada
certification and FAA validation of the Bell 429 in July, Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, delivered the first aircraft, S/N 57006, to launch customer Air Methods on August 1. The current Bell 429 fleet (two prototypes, three flight test and two customer aircraft) has accumulated more than 2,200 hours.
The Air Methods 429 flew south from Bell’s assembly facility in Mirabel, Quebec, to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, where it is expected to enter service as Mercy One at the end of this year. While in Des Moines, the light twin-turbine helicopter flew demos, participated in a mock EMS pickup and was ceremoniously delivered to the hospital, Neil Marshall, Bell Helicopter program director for the Model 429 and MAPL (modular affordable product line), told AIN. The new Mercy One helicopter then continued on to Air Methods’ facility in Denver for installation of its air medical interior. Meanwhile, training of Air Methods pilots and maintenance personnel at the Bell Training Academy in Fort Worth was pushed back from September to October for the mechanics and to November for the pilots.
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