If you are having trouble paying your utility bills, DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS SENTENCE. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The all new Bell 525 Helicopter is bound to make you go all gaga over it. Bad news first? It costs $15 million. As for the good news, the Bell 525 Helicopter will cruise this year at a speed of 178 miles per hour, and will fly 575 miles without stopping (thanks to its 24,000-litre fuel capacity). It has a grand 88-square-foot cabin with a seating capacity of 20 passengers! Many have summarized the craft as ‘a limo in the sky’. Besides being a super fancy ride, the Bell 525 can help in search-and-rescue as well as firefighting missions because of its large capacity and improved control in arduous conditions. Fred Hees, the CEO of BBM Inc (the first company to purchase the Bell 525), said “The Bell 525 Relentless is a marvel of modern technology that will enhance our customers’ capabilities beyond expectations.” He added, “our Bell 525 will be configured to perform head of state transport throughout the region.”
Image: Bell Helicopter
Moreover, according to the Wall Street Journey, Waypoint Leasing has already agreed to purchase twenty helicopters even before its maiden flight. Interestingly, the 525 is the first ever commercial helicopter which has incorporated fly-by-wire flight control, and according to Textron (the manufacturer), this delivers superior handling qualities and increased level of safety.
Image: Bell Helicopter
As for the exterior, it has an advanced aerodynamic design, a Next Generation GE engine and apparently the best in-class payload-range capability. It looks like something Tony Stark would make! For all tech-savvies out there, this is the first ever commercial helicopter that has a Garmin G5000H, a touchscreen avionics suite for the flight deck that is the substitute for knobs and switches.
Image: Bell Helicopter
Time to save up? I think so.
H/T: Daily Mail