Bell Model 525 « Relentless »
- Thread starter hesham
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Like with the S-97 Raider, we should say or report "first take-off" instead of "first flight"! 
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If I had seen the second video before posting I would not have written something that sounded so critical. Seeing more of the flight and now knowing the conditions, I agree it looked quite solid.yasotay said:
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Skyblazer said:
Practicality overcomes style, when designing a bus. Doubt the folks with the checkbook wanted to drop an extra $100K or more for style.
Besides sexy aero is for the Europeans. B)
lastdingo
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Meh, too big for an Airwolf reboot!
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The second Bell 525 Relentless helicopter first took to the sky on December 23,2015.
Cutaway
Link: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/second-bell-525-takes-flight-420371/
Cutaway
Link: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/second-bell-525-takes-flight-420371/
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flateric said:
Rest In Peace.
This is likely to severely affect the program.
The article at the link says the helicopter was traveling at 199kts. Is it normal for a conventional helicopter to be flown this fast even in a dive?
"Flightradar24 records show the helicopter departing Arlington at 10:39 LT (15:39 UTC). It proceeded to the south were it flew pattern at altitudes between 2000 and 3000 feet. Last data point is at 1975 feet, at a speed of 199 kts at 11:47 hours."
"Flightradar24 records show the helicopter departing Arlington at 10:39 LT (15:39 UTC). It proceeded to the south were it flew pattern at altitudes between 2000 and 3000 feet. Last data point is at 1975 feet, at a speed of 199 kts at 11:47 hours."
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Flightradar24 data isn't gospel. It's just looking at Extended Mode S transponder data and trying to interpolate; sometimes it makes very wrong guesses, especially in unusual cases like accidents. I wouldn't read too much into it.
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So like the 609 incident in Italy, I suspect software issues at "extreme" points in the flight envelope. Those areas where the computational work might not be as solid as the middle of the envelope. Of course it is easy for me to say that because they tout 525 as the first fly by wire. Some will recall that the UH-60 had fly by wire issues (stabilator) early in its life.
Ultimately, what matters is that there are families who have had the world pulled from under them. Prayers for them.
Ultimately, what matters is that there are families who have had the world pulled from under them. Prayers for them.
marauder2048
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Bell 525 Resumes Flight Testing
by Mark Huber - July 7, 2017, 2:17 PM
Having resumed flight testing, the Bell 525 Relentless program will see two more ships join the flight test fleet this year.
Today, a year and a day after the fatal crash of its first prototype, Bell Helicopter resumed the flight test program of its model 525 Relentless super-medium twin after receiving experimental certificate renewal from the FAA.
“Today we have resumed a key element of the Bell 525 program,” said Bell CEO Mitch Snyder. “Bell Helicopter has worked with the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA since the accident and we are confident in the resumption of flight test activity.” Snyder said Bell remains on track to certify the 525 in 2018. The 525 features fly-by-wire flight controls and the Garmin G5000H touchscreen-controlled avionics system. The flight test program had been stood down since the fatal crash of 525 flight test vehicle 1 (FTV-1) last July 6th.
Neither of the remaining two test aircraft had engaged in ground runs during the standdown. Two more test aircraft are being built at Bell's plant in Amarillo, Texas. One of those new aircraft is expected to fly this year and the other early next year.
The NTSB has yet to issue its final report on the FTV-1 accident. That aircraft was conducting tests near Vne speeds when the main rotor rpm dropped off and the main rotors departed the normal rotation plane and struck both the tailboom and the nose during the in-flight break-up sequence that destroyed the helicopter, according to the NTSB. A Bell executive told AIN last year that the company was making unspecified modifications to the remaining test aircraft in the wake of the accident.
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2017-07-07/bell-525-resumes-flight-testing
by Mark Huber - July 7, 2017, 2:17 PM
Having resumed flight testing, the Bell 525 Relentless program will see two more ships join the flight test fleet this year.
Today, a year and a day after the fatal crash of its first prototype, Bell Helicopter resumed the flight test program of its model 525 Relentless super-medium twin after receiving experimental certificate renewal from the FAA.
“Today we have resumed a key element of the Bell 525 program,” said Bell CEO Mitch Snyder. “Bell Helicopter has worked with the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA since the accident and we are confident in the resumption of flight test activity.” Snyder said Bell remains on track to certify the 525 in 2018. The 525 features fly-by-wire flight controls and the Garmin G5000H touchscreen-controlled avionics system. The flight test program had been stood down since the fatal crash of 525 flight test vehicle 1 (FTV-1) last July 6th.
Neither of the remaining two test aircraft had engaged in ground runs during the standdown. Two more test aircraft are being built at Bell's plant in Amarillo, Texas. One of those new aircraft is expected to fly this year and the other early next year.
The NTSB has yet to issue its final report on the FTV-1 accident. That aircraft was conducting tests near Vne speeds when the main rotor rpm dropped off and the main rotors departed the normal rotation plane and struck both the tailboom and the nose during the in-flight break-up sequence that destroyed the helicopter, according to the NTSB. A Bell executive told AIN last year that the company was making unspecified modifications to the remaining test aircraft in the wake of the accident.
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2017-07-07/bell-525-resumes-flight-testing
RavenOne
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Always good to hedge your bets when dealing with the U.S. Army on new aircraft.
Then there is the "Can't afford a swoopy high-speed rotorcraft? Well we got you covered."
Given that Bell had their civil partners work with them on criticality of reduced maintenance cost, as already mentioned it might provide a good financial proposition.
Then there is the "Can't afford a swoopy high-speed rotorcraft? Well we got you covered."
Given that Bell had their civil partners work with them on criticality of reduced maintenance cost, as already mentioned it might provide a good financial proposition.
Didn't want to create a new thread for this so I am putting it here. This is an interesting application of distributed electric propulsion to replace the tail rotor. It is a more conservative approach than the "FCX" design where the fans ducted air through the boom.
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Fascinating. Not the sexiest tailboom ever, but a lot of potential. I wonder if it's just a testbed for a new design with electric propulsors, or if they're thinking about making it an upgrade/update for their existing types.
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It might serve as an inspiration for the certifying authority to start thinking about associated airworthiness standards as well
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...and I may add: Replacing the mechanical drivetrain with an electric propulsion system may appear simple on the first look. But one should not underestimate the complexity of a system designed to be "single fault tolerant" - And that's the whole point of it.
Regarding the "EDAT" (electric distributed anti torque) system, it does seem to have some production potential.
https://www.verticalmag.com/news/bell-electrically-distributed-anti-torque-edat/
https://www.verticalmag.com/news/bell-electrically-distributed-anti-torque-edat/
Notice also that by having four widely spaced rotor position, they can govern the anti torque vector direction, improving stability in a range of speed (instead of a single speed value - usually cruise) and decreasing losses of power in trim.
Bell partners with local suppliers to offer the 525 for law enforcement missions (Bundespolizei):
www.airframer.com
Bell teams with German suppliers for 525 pitch | Airframer
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