Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority grants Bell 505 approval

What you need to know:

The confirmation for airworthiness certification in Tanzania came after Bell Textron, an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, broke the news.

Tanzania becomes the sixth country in Africa to certify the aircraft

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) has issued an airworthiness certification to the Bell 505, an American/Canadian light helicopter. TCAA director general Hamza Johari confirmed this to The Citizen last week, with credible sources saying the new development sets a stage for serving the daily needs of charter and tourism operators. The confirmation for airworthiness certification in Tanzania came after Bell Textron, an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, broke the news. The company announced that accepting the Bell 505 for airworthiness certification in Tanzania, makes it the sixth country in Africa to certify the aircraft.

This new development provides a room for serving the daily needs of charter and tourism operators, search and rescue, and para-public organisations, according to Bell managing director for Africa and Middle East Sameer Rehman. “With superior visibility from every seat, low cost of operations, and the availability of multi-mission configurations, the Bell 505 is the perfect platform from which to explore Tanzania’s natural beauty,” Mr Rehman said in a press statement. (Alex Malanga)

“The Bell 505 is renowned the world over for delivering best-in-class value to our customers, and now, with TCAA’s type acceptance, we are excited to serve the needs of Tanzania with the latest in helicopter technology.”

The Bell ownership experience is coupled with the company award-winning and industry-leading aftermarket support.

Type certified for operations up to 22,500 feet density altitude following the completion of high-altitude testing in Nepal in mid-2019.

The Bell 505 has so far seen more than 260 worldwide deliveries with more than 45,000 flight hours logged since its first delivery in March 2017.

With a speed of 125 knots (232 kilometers per hour) and a useful load of 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms), the Bell 505 is designed to be safe and easy to fly while providing significant value to the operator.