Wed, Jul 21, 2004
Based On 30 Years Of Research
Bell's MAPL tail fan demonstrator made its first flight last
week at Bell's new XworX research center in Arlington (TX).
On Thursday July 15th, the aircraft lifted into a hover,
performed some low-speed maneuvers including pedal turns, and
landed. The demonstrator will be used to explore the flight
characteristics of this protected, low-noise anti-torque device
intended for use on Bell's new MAPL line of light helicopters (the
Modular Affordable Product Line.)
Bell CEO Mike Redenbaugh said in a statement to ANN, "This is an
extension of protected anti-torque development at Bell that started
in the 1970s with small-scale testing and includes the Ducted Tail
Rotor demonstrations done ten years ago. We are developing a tail
rotor for our customers that will be quieter, more effective, and
more reliable with lower operating costs."
After the flight, pilot Jim McCollough said, "This aircraft is
easy to fly. The workload in hover is very low." Observers
described the tail fan as practically inaudible. "You can
occasionally hear a purring sound," said one. The demonstrator is
an experimental Bell 407 with a forty-inch diameter fan and duct,
which replace the sixty-five inch diameter tail rotor. The tail fan
incorporates technology developed during bench testing completed
earlier this year, many features of which are covered by new patent
disclosures. It has been designed to allow testing in multiple
different duct configurations, to provide information on their
performance and acoustics in hover and forward flight. The test
program will be conducted at the XworX facility and at Leadville,
Colorado to obtain high-altitude performance data.
The tail fan is only one of many new technologies being
developed specifically for the MAPL family, including an advanced
rotor demonstrator planned to fly later this year. The first
aircraft in the MAPL family is expected to be available in 2008,
although some of these new technologies are mature and are being
incorporated in Bell's 427i announced at HAI earlier this year.
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