Bell 505 has maiden flight

Bell 505 Jet Ranger X has first flight.
Bell Helicopter/Business Wire photo

Bell Helicopter announced that the new Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter had a successful 30-minute first flight at the company's Mirabel, Quebec, manufacturing facility. The 505 is a five-seat, single-engine turbine helicopter that was unveiled at HELI-Expo 2014 in February 2014. Bell has already received more than 240 letters of intent for the new model. (Source: Business Wire, 11/10/14) Gulf Coast note: Bell in August broke ground on an 82,300 square-foot helicopter assembly plant in Lafayette, La., about 135 miles west of New Orleans, that will assemble Bell 505 Short Light Single helicopters.