Hareb Thani Al Dhaheri, chief executive officer of Horizon, with Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell Helicopters at the recent Dubai Airshow
Horizon International Flight Academy has ordered twelve Bell 505 single-engine helicopters valued at $13m, becoming the largest operator of Bell 505 trainers in the world.
The 505s, also known as the Jet Ranger X, will join Horizon’s Bell-only fleet at Al Ain International Airport Zone and are purpose-built for flight training to local and international students for the civilian and military sector.
Hareb Thani Al Dhaheri, chief executive officer of Horizon, said: “The addition of single-engine glass cockpits will enable us to meet the latest technology needs of aspiring pilots and will prepare them to fly with modern helicopters when they are back to their units.”
Bell’s 505 helicopter, also known as the JetRanger X
More than 200 Bell 505s have been delivered worldwide since the helicopter was certified by Transport Canada in December 2016, replacing the old JetRanger. The 505 is powered by a FADEC-equipped Turbomeca turbine with a 3,000-hour time before overhaul (TBO) and has Garmin G1000H avionics.
