A couple of weeks ago, Bell got its new 5-seat Jet Ranger 505 certified (press release; product page). The machine will be built in Quebec, rather than the originally planned factory in Louisiana. Otherwise the development seems to have gone as scheduled, a remarkable achievement.
With air conditioning and other non-optional options, the out-the-door price seems to be roughly $1.3 million. Presumably due to the collapse of the worldwide helicopter market, occasioned by the stagnation in oil prices that limits offshore production, Bell has not raised the price from what it was offering back in 2014 at Heli-Expo. That means a used steam-gauge Bell 407, which can seat 7, is now available for less than the cost of a new Jet Ranger.
Aviation-oriented readers: What do you think? When a used old-style Jet Ranger can be had for $400,000 (example), is there going to be a strong market for this new design? The new design has many improvements, but are they sufficient to justify the extra cost? (the old Jet Ranger will need more maintenance, of course, but perhaps the extra cost will be roughly the same as the difference in cost of capital and insurance)
Isn’t it almost ALWAYs possible to buy a used, previous generation aircraft for a lot less than than the current model, even though the basic functionality is the same? If anything, due to the regulated nature of aircraft maintenance, aircraft retain their value much better than say automobiles or other types of old machinery. Your link leads to an aircraft that is 35+ years old. An typical automobile that is only half that age is worth almost nothing even if it is well maintained (unless it is a rare collectible).
Even if a 35 year old aircraft is equally safe due to being well maintained (a dubious proposition – there must still be some level of increased risk due to age) and even putting aside the steam gauge vs. glass cockpit, a 35 yr old aircraft is likely to have a beaten up, out of style interior and is not going to project the image that most aircraft buyers want. The toggle switches on that radio look more like 1940 than even 1980, the handle in front of it is all beaten up with the paint on the handle scratched, etc.
What’s the deal with the 505’s ridiculously short skids? It looks like a fat man with tiny feet.
They abandoned the jetranger fuselage to make it look like a eurocopter, but even the lowly jetranger is lightyears ahead of the R44.
Doesn’t seem like they did a good job of making it look like a Bell product. I wonder how good the sightlines from the front and back seats actually are? Something just seems kind of unbalanced about the design.
I wish Bell the best of luck in competing with Airbus.
It’s pretty ugly! The windshield looks terrible and that bump on the back is weird, too.