Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

Bell (Booth C5122) unveiled an updated version of its 407 single on Monday at Heli-Expo 2018. The 407GXi features the Garmin G1000H NXi integrated flight deck and a new Rolls-Royce M250-C47E/4 engine with dual channel fadec that delivers better high/hot performance, full automatic relight, and the ability to cruise at 133 knots. The 407GXi was certified by Transport Canada on January 19 and first deliveries are scheduled for near mid-year.

 


The G1000H NXi features high-definition displays and faster processors with increased brightness and clarity, faster startup and map rendering, and connectivity to smartphones and tablets. New options for the 407GXi include a redesigned executive cabin; Garmin FlightStream 510 that allows pilots to upload flight plans from devices; Garmin SurfaceWatch that provides runway identification and alerting technology; a 3,100-pound cargo hook; and health usage monitoring (HUMS) for aircraft systems diagnostics.

 


The -C47E/4 engine replaces the Rolls-Royce 250-C47B/8 in the 407GXP that Bell launched in 2015. While the 407GXP offered high/hot performance, it had one computer controlling the engine, explained Bell program director for light helicopters Michael Nault. “If that fails you could go and control the throttle with the twist grip and go in manual mode. If you are an experienced pilot that’s very benign, but if you are a new pilot you are kind of chasing your tail and a lot of people were overspeeding the engines and having issues with that.

 


"So we went from one computer to two computers and each of the computers have two channels. We added three layers of redundancy with this new engine while keeping the same performance for hot and high.”

 


Nault said the G1000H NXi is “five times faster” than the G1000H. “Its LED displays are cooler, easier to manage and just have so much more processing power and capabilities.”

 


Customers with existing orders for the GXP will receive the 407GXi at no additional cost.

 


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