UK-based customer Al Barratt, co-founder of sports company Grenade and owner of Cotswold Aviation, has taken delivery of a Bell 505, the 400th delivery made by Bell Textron.

“Flying in the 505 is a unique experience and a perfect solution for business travel around the UK and other parts of Europe,” says Barratt. “This aircraft enables me to save time throughout my day by avoiding traffic and gets me quickly and safely to my destination. I'm already operating two single engine fixed wing aircraft, and I've been looking for the rotary equivalent of those machines. This stunning 505 fits my mission perfectly, blending performance and technology while reducing pilot workload.”

“The Bell 505 is an incredible aircraft, and we are proud to celebrate the 400th delivery to Mr Barratt,” says Bell vice president, commercial sales LaShan Bonaparte. “It provides outstanding performance capabilities, modern avionics and a versatile cabin for our customers. This will be a great addition to Cotswold Aviation's fleet.”

The first Bell 505 was delivered in 2017, and today there are 400 aircraft operating around the world. As demand for this aircraft increases, Bell has continued to introduce technologies such as an enhanced avionics suite and auto-pilot capabilities. A fully integrated Garmin G1000H NXi avionics suite and Safran Arrius 2R engine with a dual-channel FADEC provides maximised situational awareness and workload reduction to fly successfully in a multitude of scenarios. With the added benefit of a large cabin and panoramic window views, the Bell 505 is ideal for corporate passengers and private owner adventures.