Bell 525 Relentless Makes First Flight

Stephen Pope

Thursday, July 02, 2015 at 06:23 PM ET

Verified

Bell 525 Relentless Bell Helicopter

Key Takeaways:

Bell Helicopter successfully completed the first test flight of its new 525 Relentless turbine twin, marking the debut of its largest civil model.
The 525 Relentless is the first helicopter to feature triple-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls and sidesticks, which performed well during the initial evaluations.
This medium-lift helicopter boasts a projected cruise speed of 155 knots, capacity for up to 20 passengers, and a 7,400-pound useful load, with over 60 orders already placed and certification anticipated within a year.

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Bell Helicopter test pilots flew the new fly-by-wire 525 Relentless turbine twin for the first time yesterday at the company production center in Amarillo, Texas, officially christening the helicopter maker’s biggest and most capable civil model.

The pilots evaluated the 525’s hover and low-speed handling capabilities during the test flight, which was made slightly more challenging by a buffeting 20-knot wind. The Relentless is the first helicopter equipped with triple-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls and sidesticks. Despite the strong wind, the 525 was said to perform well.