Rotorcraft
Jet Ranger X Makes First Flight
The light single reached 60 knots during its maiden sortie.
The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X achieved a 30-minute maiden flight on November 10 from the company’s Mirabel, Québec manufacturing facility. Company senior test pilots Yann Lavalle and Eric Emblin hovered the new helicopter and assessed low-speed controllability, reaching up to 60 knots. (Photo: Bell Helicopter)
The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X achieved a 30-minute maiden flight on November 10 from the company’s Mirabel, Québec manufacturing facility. Company senior test pilots Yann Lavalle and Eric Emblin hovered the new helicopter and assessed low-speed controllability, reaching up to 60 knots. (Photo: Bell Helicopter)

The first Bell 505 Jet Ranger X logged a 30-minute maiden flight yesterday from the company’s manufacturing facility in Mirabel, Québec. Bell Helicopter unveiled the next-generation five-seat light turbine single, shaped largely by input from a customer advisory council, at Heli-Expo in February and has already received letters of intent for more than 240 copies.