Design
The Bell 429 has a 4-blade rotor system with soft-in-plane flex beams. The rotor blades are composite and have swept tips for reduced noise. The tail rotor is made by stacking two, two-blade rotors set at uneven intervals (to form an X) for reduced noise. The combined cabin volume is 204 ft³ (5.78 m³) with a 130 ft³ passenger cabin and 74 ft³ baggage area, with flat floor for patient loading. A set of rear clamshell doors under tail boom is optional for easier patient loading.
The 429 has glass cockpit with 3-axis autopilot and flight director standard. Standard landing gear are skids. A retractable wheel landing gear is optional and adds 5 kt to cruising speed. The helicopter is a single-pilot IFR Category A helicopter. It is capable of operating with one engine inoperative. The main transmission is rated for 5,000 hours between overhauls and the tail-rotor gearbox is rated for 3,200 hours.
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