Whirling tourists around at horrendous heights over the falls - how about you?

Phil

Paco,

I am not 100% certain, but I think it is likely/possible that the Bell 407 has not yet been certified by the CAA for the UK. Certainly, at one stage they were raising various questions about the FADEC and other stuff. I cannot recall ever seeing a G reg 407.

Acording to the CAA's website there are only 3 G reg 407's

Heres a link:

http://www.caa.co.uk/srg/aircraft_re...nfo/search.asp


Edit: You'll have to type in Bell 407 in the aircraft type box because it wont let you link straight to the results

Hope it helps!

Thanks for that - I thought I saw one going to someone in Bradford.

The FADEC seems to be alright now - they made the programmers talk to some pilots and got the bugs sorted, though I still believe it's a single board 8088 (powerful, huh?). At any rate, they still use a RS232 connection! Hopefully moire than 52K.

phil

Bell 407 / 427 in the UK
 

I've checked the UK G-INFO database for 407s and 427s in the UK and there's only 2 407s.

Does anyone else know of a 407/427 in the UK, on a foreign register ? And - as an aside, is there a web site listing B407/427 production ?

Rotorhub lists the [35!] Bell 427s in a production database but it seems that via there at least no-one has thought to have a go at the 407....

It may be noteworthy that in a recent issue of Flight it seems the manufacturers are going to re-launch the 427 again..... and offer IFR!

The [via] Rotorhub list suggests that most 427s remain on the US and Canadian register.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/activep...e.asp?x_lang=e

last 407 exported is 5378 ( assume 378 total production)
427 IS 56036 ( assume 36 total production).

18 entries in US register for 427 .

http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/activep...e.asp?x_lang=e

for table by month.

For what its worth I know there are three Bell 427s in Manilla, two seperate owners, at least one in Poland, one with Bahrain Police, and one in Israel (Chim Nir Aviation).

:E

I believe there were one or two privately operated 407s on the Irish register that spent a lot of time in the UK.

The CAA took a long time to certify the 407 - I believe they had concerns about the FADEC - of course they would have no choice to accept them now - EASA ensures a national authority cannot hold up aircraft in this way anymore.

Widgeon, perhaps you should recheck your info, the last aircraft exported was 578 on the website you gave us, not 378 ???

My information says that the 407 series is nearing the 600 aircraft mark.......

...from the TC registration website ....."C-GZMF Serial No 53576
Common Name Bell Model 407...."

In Australia and NZ there are not many 407s and no 427s. There is a corporate 407 in Sydney VH-IPG, the Hunter Region rescue 407 based out of Tamworth I think and Buzz Aviations one. None over in Kiwiland.

:E

Autorotate, What you need in your beautiful country is someone to support the 407, and show the customers what it can do against all of those old D's, Super D's, 355F's and other EC products.

Hmmmm, Perhaps that someone should be me ???

There used to be a 407 based in Auckland, owned by merchant bankers Fay Richwhite but they ended up trading it in on an EC130. It was then sold to Classic Helicopters in Utah where it is still based from what I understand.

Bell's agents down here leave a heck of a lot to be desired and now that Sikorsky have bought Heli tech Bell actually has no one representing them from what I understand. Apart from a couple of recent 412s for the EMS contract in Victoria there has not been a new Bell product sold into this part of the world for a long time.

Eurocopter is kicking their ass big time. Here in Kiwiland we have 400 or so helicopters and most of them are EC products. We have a lot of the latest toys as well with the following here:

5 x EC130s
1 x EC135-T2
1 x S-76

Plus many others. It would be great to see Bell get some new aircraft in here but they need to become more proactive in their marketing. It seems like all they care about is the V-22 program.

Autorotate.

There have never been any operational 427s in the UK, only demos (and perhaps one, max two of those only!). As for 407s the current fleet is one in UK, four in Eire and this is the full fleet list including foreign reg ones.....

407s in UK
==========
53186 G-GAJW based Cambridgeshire, private op
53208 G-EJTT sold to US
53375 G-IORB sold to US (was prev op as N407RB by same owner)

407s in Eire
==========
53137 G-DCDB based Knocksedan, private op, occasional charter via Eurojet (was previously op as C-GCDB and orig N7238A with same owner)
53282 EI-STR
53331 EI-DBN bought 2003
53551 EI-GAN bought 2003

thanks for correcting me 407 drvr , just missed out one of the numbers. should be 53578 last one exported total production 578.

Quite a lot more than B3 production I would imagine , EC's serial numbers include b, b1 ba b2 and b3 so numbers are hard to find.

Helinut your statement ....EASA ensures a national authority cannot hold up aircraft in this way anymore....

.....is not totally correct. There are a number of outstanding 'issues' on a number of airframes that each National Authority has obliged EASA to rethink under the so called Schedule 10(1). It will take a long time to work through as EASA is barely staffed at the moment. Types facing the ire of the CAA include the Notar singles. Other nations have different beefs that I am unfamiliar with.

That said any new airframe types [and those not currently listed as due for special treatment] are automatically waved through everywhere now as soon as there is an EASA OK.

So, no point in doing the course for the 407 then :D

Oh, I don't know...



From flightinternational.com:


Job Title: Helicopter Pilots
Position type: Permanent
Region: Republic of Ireland
Company: Eurojet
Posted: Tuesday 4 November 2003
Job type(s): Flight crew

Description: Due to continued expansion of the company's business jet and helicopter charter, management and maintenance operations in the UK and Ireland, we wish to recruit the following additional personnel.
Dublin based
Bell 407 and Eurocopter EC-120 (Ref: H/DUB)
Minimum criteria: Ability to hold JAR-CPL(H), 1,000 hrs TT. 500 hrs turbine – experience on type preferred.
Type training will be available to otherwise suitable candidates.
Applications should be in writing with C.V. (marking appropriate reference on envelope) to: The Administration Manager at the address given below.
Closing date for applications: 21st November 2003
Applicants failing to meet minimum criteria will not receive a response
Address: Executive Jet Centre
Belfast International Airport, Belfast

OK, so this Eurojet one is G-DCDB as I noted above. Owned by Paycourt Ltd, alias singer Chris De Burgh, and operated by Eurojet. Take a look at this on G-INFO database and it shows hours as 458 and CofA expiry at 19-Oct-05.

The hours on G-INFO are from the date the CofA was last issued, ie 20-Oct-02 (expiry date less "three years less a day"). So, given the aircraft was delivered new and is a 1997 aircraft, we can assume that it has flown 458 hours in 5 years, so Eurojet flies it 90 hours a year. Still interested?

============

and to add some more to my notes earlier in the thread

53186 G-GAJW was previously with AJWalter Avn (who replaced it with a 109 Power) and originally reg N52245 UK based with JJB Sports (who replaced it with a 430).

Are Bell making a comeback at last?
 

The 407 is a big success for Bell. The 427 isn't so far.

Orders for the 407 are 35 percent up over last year. Life Flight Eagle just ordered two to replace the BK117 saying it's better technology at lower cost.
They reckon to deliver more than 30 412s by the end of the year, the best number since 1998.
Bell say 23 percent of 2003 deliveries are to new customers and this years figures will be 30 percent up on 2002 by year-end.

I'd kinda like to see Bell back up there again.

Is it gonna happen?