Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group.&nbsp;He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion,&nbsp;the&nbsp;student newspaper at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as editor-in-chief before graduating with a bachelor's in aeronautical science. After a stint as managing editor at Professional Pilot&nbsp;magazine, he joined&nbsp;AIN in late 1998. Chad holds a commercial pilot certificated with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and he also is a CFI/CFII. He lives and works from his home in Venice, Florida.

Online Editor

Chad Trautvetter

Making his Verticon debut as Bell Textron’s president and CEO, Danny Maldonado outlined his company’s successes in 2025 while also acknowledging that the super-medium-twin Bell 525 Relentless once again eluded FAA certification.
“We delivered 169 helicopters last year, with 10,000 Bells now in service,” he told the media on Monday at the show. “We also ramped up our aftermarket [support] and our investment in our people, our facilities, and our products; accelerated the MV75 program; and celebrated the advancement to Phase 3 of the Army’s Flight School Next program.”
He also noted that Bell faced “primitive challenges in 2025—that is, tariffs, government shutdowns, and supply-chain issues. But our team did a fantastic job of working through all those challenges and still delivering on all our commitments to our customers.”
While Maldonado said the Bell 525 program made progress last year, “We didn’t get the [helicopter] FAA certified in 2025. However, we continue to make progress with our flight activities and customers.”
Bell 525 program senior v-p Michael Deslatte added that the company’s objective is to certify the fly-by-wire helicopter by year-end, without giving any promise of that timeline but noting that all flight testing has been completed for the FAA. “When we introduced the 525, our goal was crystal clear: to deliver a super-medium helicopter that sets a new benchmark for safety, performance, and mission capability. That vision has not changed.
“You’ll notice this year when the show opens [today] that the 525 is not in our booth, and that’s by design. Every one of our [test 525s] are out in the field, hard at work preparing us for market entry. Our team remains focused on critical activities necessary for certification.”
Last year at Verticon, Bell said it was engaged with the FAA on the type certification process. Since then, Deslatte said, “We continue to be in lockstep with the FAA on these final efforts towards certification.” The only open certification activities for the 525 are failure-mode regression and fly-by-wire software validation at Bell’s integration test lab.
Two of the three flight-test Bell 525s are conducting post-certification flying activities—namely, cold-weather expansion and full icing capability—in Yellowknife, Canada, and Marquette, Michigan.&nbsp;“Since the fall, these two teams have been…focused on anti-ice performance, along with increased gross weight cold weather testing,” Deslatte noted. “Together, these teams have flown hundreds of hours and accomplished thousands of test points in austere conditions and are gearing up for type inspection authorization with the FAA next season.”
The third test aircraft is “ready and waiting” to begin function and reliability testing with the FAA once “prerequisite activities” are completed, according to Deslatte.
Meanwhile, two pilots from Omni Helicopters became the first customer pilots to log time in the new helicopter after completing a four-day familiarization course with the Bell Training Academy. This included eight hours in the level-C Bell 525 simulator and three days of instructional courses.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Bell Textron Relentlessly Pursuing FAA Certification for 525

Company continues to work with agency to get the super-medium, fly-by-wire helicopter approved

Bell continues to pursue FAA certification by the end of this year for its Model 525 super-medium, fly-by-wire helicopter.

Bell Relentlessly Pursuing FAA Certification for 525

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Kerry Lynch

Archer, Wisk, Beta, Joby, and others to take part in nationwide trials

DOT Selects Eight Projects for AAM Integration Trials

Charles Alcock

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Some supply chain easing, but production and completions constraints could persist

IBA Forecasts More Business Jet Delivery Growth in 2026

Bizav posted 500-flight increase per day in North America

Argus: Business Aviation Ops Soar Globally in February 

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

eVTOL vehicles may yet replace helicopters in some use cases

Advanced Air Mobility Edges Toward Commercial Launch

Curt Epstein

The company posted more than $7.5 billion in revenue

Embraer Posts Banner Financial Year in 2025

Amy Wilder

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Verticon 2026

In this article

Bell 525

Bell

More In Aircraft

DOT Selects Eight Projects for AAM Integration Trials

Archer, Wisk, Beta, Joby, and others to take part in nationwide trials

IBA Forecasts More Business Jet Delivery Growth in 2026

Some supply chain easing, but production and completions constraints could persist

Argus: Business Aviation Ops Soar Globally in February

Bizav posted 500-flight increase per day in North America

Advanced Air Mobility Edges Toward Commercial Launch

eVTOL vehicles may yet replace helicopters in some use cases

Embraer Posts Banner Financial Year in 2025

The company posted more than $7.5 billion in revenue

Russell Meyer, Cessna Leader and GARA Champion, Dies at 93

Meyer transformed general aviation, championing the Citation family and GARA passage in 1994

Ascendance’s VTOL Aircraft Enters Final Integration Phase

Atea airframe to be fitted with hybrid-electric propulsion system

New Orleans Magic Breaks Las Vegas’ Spell over NBAA-BACE

NBAA’s annual convention was last held in New Orleans in 2001

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN