Bell 505 has successful flight

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Bell Helicopter said today that the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X's second flight test vehicle has successfully achieved its first flight. The Bell 505's flight test vehicle one completed its first flight in November of last year. Bell Helicopter unveiled the Jet Ranger X at HELI-Expo 2014 in February and has already received more than 300 letters of intent for the new model. Bell Helicopter is a Textron company. (Source: Bell Helicopter, 02/25/15) Gulf Coast note: Bell in August 2014 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. Previous