Modern Helicopters - The Bell 430
The Bell 430 was originally developed and marketed as a corporate shuttle. Its sleek lines were thought to be very attractive to corporate executives and flight departments. Today the 430 can be found performing a number of missions including EMS, Law enforcement, off-shore oil support, law enforcement, homeland security to name a few.
The Bell 430 is a stretched version of the Bell 230. Among the many improvements that the 430 possesses the greatest is a four bladed hinge less, bearingless, main rotor which reduces moving parts thus reducing maintenance demands, a fuselage stretched by 1 and inches, more powerful engines, the option of a glass cockpit, and the choice of skids or wheels for landing gear. The 430 also offers energy absorbing crew seats, rupture resistant fuel cells, and self sealing break away fuel fittings.
The 430 had its first flight in October, 1994 and went into full scale production in 1996.
The Bell 430 is powered by two FADEC (full authority digital engine control) equipped, Rolls Royce 250-C40B turbo shaft engines rated at 780 SHP (shaft horsepower) each. The fuel tank is located in the sponsons.
The interior of the Bell 430 is different depending on what mission the helicopter is intended performing. In all versions, the cockpit is equipped with a Honeywell Automatic Flight Control System. A Rogerson-Kratos glass cockpit and GPS navigation system are available as options.
For EMS missions the Bell 430 has enough space for two litters, plus an additional 4 seats for medical personnel. It can be installed with a larger litter door. The 430 comes with a retractable searchlight and theres space for additional medical equipment in a storage area.
For law enforcement missions the Bell can be equipped with up to 11 seats though most operators vie for a mix of seats and cargo space. An optional sliding door is available but the standard wide opening doors allow for easy loading of people and equipment. The Bell 430 is also available with an external cargo hook rated at 3500 lbs.
The corporate layout has a number of different base configurations including six, eight or ten seats in either standard or club (seats facing each other) configurations. As with most corporate aircraft the interior can be done in a number of ways and will include options that the owner desires. Some of these options could be satellite phones, deep stitch lather seats, carpeting, cabinets, privacy screens, tables etc.
The helicopter can be flown by one or two pilots. If its a one pilot operation than the extra seat in the cockpit can be used for a passenger. The maximum cruising speed is 160 mph. The Bell 430 has a maximum range of 350 miles.
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