Relentless

RELENTLESS

It’s Bell’s flagship and as its name suggests, the Bell 525 Relentless is the top of the range for the Texan manufacturer. This hard-working aircraft is an innovative ‘copter that combines aesthetic appeal with elegant interiors featuring select materials

by Sergio Barlocchetti - ph. courtesy by Bell Helicopters

Agiant of helicopter production like Bell can never remain without a flagship, but the unforgiving laws of aviation dictate that when you design something innovative the route to success is three times more complicated. The Bell 525 Relentless, though seems set to be one of the few innovative helicopters to appeal to a wide market, and although it was developed to ferry personnel to and from oil rigs, it can look forward to enjoying a future in the VIP/corporate and emergency services sectors, becoming the top of the range for the Amarillo, Texas based constructor. As well digital controls the B525 boasts Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM), which monitors the health of all the aircrafts systems, fluid levels included. The information is gathered by an impressive number of sensors distributed throughout the fuselage and mechanisms, generating thousands of parameters providing data operators can access. This helps cut maintenance and running costs for components that have to be checked every 5,000 flight hours, a very long period for this type of aircraft. If you spend 15 million dollars you naturally expect to be travelling in comfort, which for a helicopter means offering elegant, luxurious interiors made using recycled materials and in this case providing the passenger cabin with larger windows. Above

all, though, the LIVE system cuts out 95% of vibration generated by the main rotor. All in all, it’s a velvet-smooth ride where passengers can close their eyes and imagine they are flying on board a business jet. The cockpit has been designed with great care, cossetting pilots with ergonomic seats that make long journeys much more tolerable and providing the degree of visibility required for landing on open-sea oil platforms or private helipads. The B525 is one of the most versatile helicopters in its class, being suitable for corporate transport, emergency response or personnel transport with a cabin capable of carrying up to sixteen passengers. Among the pilots who have tried the aircraft out is James Maner, chief pilot for PHI Americas, one of the first operators to choose the helicopter. In his words, “The Bell 525 is a phenomenally unique flying experience. It’s incredibly smooth and intuitive, simple to operate, and blends complex advancements into an impressive pilot and passenger experience”. Bell states that the 525 consumes 30% less fuel than direct competitors like the Sikorsky S-92 and 27% less than the H225, even when using sustainable fuels. (SAF). www.bellflight.com