Originally Posted by
FH1100 Pilot
Heh. When I first saw the 505 with its steel tube frame covered by sheet metal, I thought to myself how similar it was to things that Bell had built before. Like the 47J. I laughed and thought, "This thing is just a gussied-up J-model!" Only uglier. Way, waaaaay uglier. And let's not forget, in 1962, Bell built a J-model with a turbine engine! That would be the HUL-1M, powered by the (then) 250 h.p. Allison 250 engine. Okay, but,..but...the 505 is such a great leap forward in "technology." Right. Like, uhhh, what sort of new tech? Oh yeah, it's got FADEC on the French engine. Aaaaaand...hmm...what else? Well, at least it's got a flat floor! Man, when it comes to helicopters, there is really very little "new" under the sun.
the j had a flat floor too.