Helicopter's First Assignment Was New York Red Bull Air Race

Edwards & Associates, an affiliate of Bell Helicopter, has delivered the latest Bell Helicopter 407 with an advanced glass cockpit system to New York City charter and air tour operator Zip Aviation. A luxurious leather-and-bird's-eye-maple interior and provisions for an in-flight entertainment system based on the latest state-of-the-art touch-screen technology were included in the package.

"This is not just a Bell 407," said Itai Shoshani, owner of Zip Aviation. "This is the nicest 407 in the world, and among the first with the Garmin G500H glass cockpit."

Zip Aviation offers air tours and charters from Manhattan's heliports at Wall Street and West 30th Street (in a private terminal) with an all-Bell fleet using the 206B3 JetRanger, 206L LongRanger and 407. It also offers aerial photography, aerial survey, corporate/VIP transport, airport and cruise-line transfer and yacht services. "We really did this completion and customization as a team," said Greg Williams, president and general manager of Edwards & Associates. "Itai was involved in every aspect of the work, right down to picking the right paint combination for the aircraft exterior."

The 407's first assignment was to serve as a camera platform to capture the Red Bull Air Race held over New York's Hudson River June 19-20, 2010.

"After doing this for seven years, we know the Bell 407 is definitely the right piece of equipment," Shoshani said. "It can operate with full passengers and complete the mission without any sensitivity to performance. And the clientele loves the 407's luxury and comfort."

The aircraft's Garmin G500H avionics system, optimized for the helicopter market, includes helicopter synthetic vision technology (HSVT) and XM WX Satellite Weather with NEXRAD. The avionics primary flight display shows attitude, airspeed, vertical speed, altitude and course/heading information, while the multi-function display can present the helicopter's current position in relation to terrain, aeronautical chart data, navigation aids, and flight plan routings.

The G500H is integrated with the aircraft's Garmin GNS 530W navigation/communications radio, which has the capability to navigate using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) and Wide-Area Augmentation System (WAAS) signals.

FMI: www.edwards-assoc.com