Firsts

• FIRST commercial helicopter to define the super-medium class by combining best-in-class performance characteristics and passenger amenities with maximized situational awareness of the ARC Horizon flight deck.
• FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate fly-by-wire flight controls, delivering superior handling qualities and increased level of safety through the ability to seamlessly react in austere environments.
• FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate the Garmin G5000H, a touchscreen avionics suite, for enhanced situational awareness and improved pilot integration.
• FIRST commercial helicopter to incorporate Bell’s LATD™ tail boom technology for improved hover performance.

Ambassadors

Al led the design effort for an innovative tail boom shape that improves hover performance by taking advantage of the rotor downwash energy to offload the tail rotor. This airfoil shaped tail boom provides a competitive advantage for hovering at high altitude with maximum payload.

• Al has been with Bell Helicopter for 22 years, serving in various roles including Analysis & Test IPT Leader on the Magellan Program, Test & Evaluation Leader on the Presidential Helicopter Program, Chief Engineer for Aerodynamics, and V-22 Flight Test Engineer.
• Al has received a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, all from Georgia Tech where Al was a Designated Research Fellow at the Center of Excellence in Rotary Wing Aircraft Technology.
• Al is widely recognized as an industry expert in rotary wing aerodynamics. He won the AHS Forum Best Paper award in 2004 for a paper on Vortex Ring State.
• Al received a patent for designing an exhaust deflector system for the V-22 that has provided a reliable solution to protecting structure from hot exhaust gasses.

ALTITUDE NOW HAS A WHOLE NEW ATTITUDE.