Helicopter

CLASSIC, WITH A DIGITAL HEART

A technical step forward and more for the 407 GXi. Prestigious materials in the cabin with noise cut to a minimum for an exclusive flight experience. With its compact form factor, it can land even on medium-sized yachts

by Sergio Barlocchetti - ph. Courtesy by Bell Helicopter

Evolve or die is one of Nature’s most implacable rules, and it also applies to helicopters, especially those like the Bell 407 that still have great deal of untapped potential to draw on. The GXi is the latest version of this classic American four-blade helicopter, whose career has just reached the 25-year mark. The market has seen a series of different, increasingly high-performance models, and now this GXi offers the highest levels of integrated digital avionics This instrumentation introduced in 2011 on board the GX model and is now offered with functions that provide outstanding levels of safety and ease of management. The instrumentation is so important because new regulations place a growing emphasis managing flight and the ever-increasing supply of information pilots are faced with. What’s more, being able to rely on so much reliable circuitry makes life easier for the pilot, enables the owner to make savings and enhances the passenger experience. For example, the pilot will be assisted by a dual digital engine management system for the reliable 847 hp Rolls-Royce 250 turboshaft engines, and the synthetic vision system (SVS) provides a view of terrain features with a ground proximity alarm function, all displayed on the 10.4 inch screen of the Garmin G1000H NXi avionics, which also includes an especially useful feature, giving the pilot a realtime report of the power required to carry out operations hovering in out of ground effect (OGE, maximum at 11,940 ft) or in ground effect (IGE, maximum at 13,550 ft ) with regard to external air

The four-blade single engine Bell 407 Gxi flies at a cruising speed of over 130 knots with four-hour endurance and maximum range of 620 km depending on load

temperature and altitude. The passengers – six, plus the pilot - will be equally happy, with less cabin noise, prestigious materials that would be equally at home in a deluxe limo, a load capacity that means they will not have to compromise too much on the amount of luggage they bring along and compact external dimensions that enable the aircraft to land on less grandiose yachts. Take-off weight is 2.26 tonnes and its length is 13 metres. The 407 Gxi’s cruising speed exceeds 130 knots (133 KIAS) with an endurance nudging four hours and maximum range of 620 km depending on load. The helicopter can lift just over one tonne, which in private or corporate VIP mode means it can carry passengers with an appreciable power reserve still available to reach its mountain destination. Of course, in a marine environment it’s good practice to instal pop-up floats to help cope with any disaster on the water. They weigh a few dozen kilos but ensure survival in most forced splashdowns. A wellequipped example comes in at just over three million dollars, not bad when compared to its rivals, which in this case are the AW119 (8 seats), the French Airbus H-125 (5) and, also made in the USA, the MD-530/600 (5/7). www.bellflight.com

Garmin G1000H NXi on-board avionics with two 10.4-inch screens. A high degree of digital integration with dual engine management system and SVS system with ground proximity alarm function