Bell's model 427 helicopter has been certified for dual-pilot instrument flight rules and Category A operations, allowing the light twin to operate in marginal weather conditions with the aid of advanced avionics. The approval comes five months after the twin-engined machine received Federal Aviation Administration certification. Bell has had 85 orders for the multi-mission 427 and three machines have been delivered to corporate and offshore customers. While most 427 orders are earmarked for corporate operators, Bell is targeting the growing emergency medical services, law enforcement and electronic news-gathering markets which, it anticipates, will account for a "sizeable" portion of future 427 sales.
Source: Flight International
