So I took the time and read the AIN report, did you?
It smells smack of another of Bell's publicity stunts, aimed squarely at those aeromedical programs run by...medical types and bean counters.
"The 135 was a good workhorse, but with the 429 we can still make 130 knots over the ground into a 30-knot headwind. It's a Corvette. This thing is fast."
That's 160 KTAS, right? Too bad the VNE is really 155 Kts.
"........, Mercy One program director, said power from the 429's twin P&WC PW207D1s (1,100 shp each) makes it natural for difficult scene work."
Too bad the 207 D1 really puts out 758 shp in 30 sec OEI mode.
What other crap can come out of the ONLY commercial operator of the Bell 429 in the USA?