Bell 429

The Bell 429 GlobalRanger is a twin-engine light-utility helicopter designed and manufactured by Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. of the USA. The Bell 429 GlobalRanger made its first flight in early 2007, was certified in 2009, and officially launched in 2010. It was originally developed to be used mainly for emergency medical service operations, as the previous 427's cabin was too small to properly accommodate a patient litter. As a result, the 429 was intended to be a stretched version of the 427. The 429 GlobalRanger's impressive cabin size was an imperative selling point, but Bell needed to do more to maintain its competitive edge. As a result, the 429 GlobalRanger is a high-performance aircraft that boasts impressive hot-and-high and climb performance. Even more impressive is the fact that the aircraft can excel in these areas at its maximum gross weight. It owes its great performance mainly due to its efficient and reliable Pratt & Whitney PWC207D1 turbines, which provide a hefty 1,100 shaft horsepower each. This allows the GlobalRanger to travel at speeds of up to 142 ktas with a maximum range of 368 nautical miles. Utilizing its optional skids, the 429 can reach even greater speeds of 150 ktas. The 429 was designed conforming to a streamlined maintenance steering group process allowing seamless maintenance procedures that reduce operating costs and save time. Accordingly, the 429 only needs to be checked every 200 flight hours making it one of the easiest helicopters to keep properly maintained.