Originally Posted by
CertGuy
Well, you mentioned safety and flying the family. The Bell 505 meets all the current safety requirements, including crash resistant fuel systems (27.952) and dynamic seats. (27.562). Don't believe the 530 has either of those, and is based on a 50 year old design.
Never flew a 505. I took my ATP in a 206 at Bell. I LOVE the 206 series, they're pickup truck helicopters. The 500 series, on the other hand, no hydraulics, was much, much more fun to fly. Except on long trips.
The 530 is based on the OH 6. That was designed to survive crashes, the flight crew sat against the forward plane of a structural pyramid that enclosed the back seat, had the engine mounted on the aft plane. The main rotor gearbox in a fixed mount almost directly overhead. If you didn't go inverted on impact, the airframe would protect you. I remember two Vietnam loach guys reminiscing about their tour, both had been shot down/crashed a couple times. One vividly described the other Loach, taking fire on a nap of the Earth scout, saw the aircraft hit the ground at speed as it exited the target area, tumbling several times and being amazed when the crew jumped out and ran to cover.
Did it have a crash resistant fuel cell? Not that I recall. I think the fuel cell ran under the rear seats...
On the other hand, I've seen more than a few Bell crew decapitated by the main rotor. The main gear box is flexibly mounted to isolate vibration...