Rotorcraft
First Bell 429s delivered; getting airmed interiors
Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, delivered the first Bell 429 customer aircraft to launch customer Air Methods on August 1, after which S/N 57

Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, delivered the first Bell 429 customer aircraft to launch customer Air Methods on August 1, after which S/N 57006 flew south from Bell’s assembly facility in Mirabel, Quebec, to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa.

While in Des Moines, where it is expected to enter service as “Mercy One” at the end of this year, the light, twin-turbine helicopter flew demos, participated in a mock EMS pickup and was ceremoniously delivered to the hospital. 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.

Loading…