Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

Mecaer Aviation Group is revealing more details about the premium "MAGnificent" interior it is developing for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X light single, an aircraft that was recently certified by Transport Canada and in Australia.


The new interior will feature upscale materialsand&nbsp;quick change four-five seat configurations with a removable rear center cabinet. Interior amenities include coat hooks, cup holders, stowage pockets and containers, leather-wrapped flight control boots, smart device holders, modified foam packages and trim pieces on the existing seat frames, and new interior panels, headliner, overhead passenger service unit and adjustable interior mood and reading lighting. Clients may choose to have company or personal logos stitched into the headrests or engraved into the door thresholds.


Initial installation will take about a week and can be done at either Bell's Mirabel, Quebec, production facility or at Mecaer's Philadelphia or Italy completion centers. Kits can also be shipped to a completion center of the customer's choice including any factory or authorized Bell service center. Customers will have complete flexibility on available color and material choices.


Mecaer (Booth 11537) hopes to have the interior certified by the first quarter of 2018 by Transport Canada, the FAA and EASA, along with authorities in Brazil and Russia. The baseline kit adds approximately 100 pounds to the weight of a stock 505; full up with cabinets about 130 pounds, a Mecaer spokesman said. While a firm price has yet to be set, it is expected to be in the $90,000 to $120,000 range. Armando Sassoli, co-general manager of Mecaer Aviation Group, said the company hopes to install the interior in about 20 percent of the 505s on order. Chuck Evans, Bell's director of marketing and sales support, said the majority of the initial 400 customer letters of intent are from owner/operators-owner/pilots who would find the Mecaer interior appealing. Sassoli said Mecaer will begin taking orders for the interior during Heli-Expo.


Grayson Barrows, Mecaer director of sales and marketing for cabin comfort systems, pointed out that the modular nature of the interior makes it easy for end users to swap out components, easily converting the interior from a four- to a five-seat configuration in less than 20 minutes.&nbsp;


Sassoli said offering the MAGnificent package&nbsp;for the 505 was a natural extension of Mecaer's interiors developed for the Bell 429 and under development for the 525 super-medium twin. That interior design was recognized with the prestigious international product design Red Dot award March 5.

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