Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, announced a signed purchase agreement for the sale of a Bell 505 to Spokane County Sheriff’s Office during APSCON 2024, highlighting its legacy of operating an all-Bell emergency response aviation fleet.
“Bell is honored to continue to work alongside Spokane County Sheriff’s Office as they build upon their public safety aviation fleet with the 21st century capabilities of the Bell 505 platform,”
Lane Evans, managing director, North America
In 2005, the Spokane Regional Air Support Unit was created following the United States Army’s donation of a Bell OH-58 helicopter to the department. Since then, the Air Support Unit has expanded its fleet with an additional Bell OH-58 and a Bell UH-1H. With the recent purchase of a Bell 505, the Unit is planning to expand upon their search and rescue, homeland security, and natural disaster damage assessment support.
“The Spokane Regional Air Support Unit has a long and successful history with Bell. This new 505 will continue with our fleet modernization plans by providing effective air support to our entire region. This new aircraft is a much-needed addition to our fleet, and will serve us well for years to come,”
Chief David Ellis, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Combining its Safran Arrius 2R engine, dual channel FADEC, and Garmin G1000H NXi all-glass avionics suite with a moving map display – the Bell 505 is one of the most technologically advanced platforms in its class. The added benefit of wide panoramic windows, open cabin design, and Synthetic Vision technology has classified the Bell 505 as an ideal aircraft for those in the public safety field.
