Bell 429
We got a visit from Bell to give us a Demo of the 429 and I was lucky enough to sit in the front and fly it. Incredible aircraft, easy to fly, smooth, reached VNE easily, torque did not blink hovering with 15kt tail wind. Everything great...except the payload. With our current airframe we have 900kg payload. With the 429 would be circa...900kg maybe a little less.
Bottom line: the 429 needs those extra 500lb badly to make a difference. You can not offer with a 4 years old aircraft what the likes of 109's and 135's have been doing for decades. At the end, clients will not switch aircraft just for the fancy, but for increased performance.
A pity Bell did not chose to go with part 29 from the beginning. The harm is done by now