Bell 430
Nakanihon Air Service's Bell 430 with landing skids
General information
Type	Executive/utility helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Bell Helicopter Textron
Number built	136
History
Manufactured	1996–2008
Introduction date	1995
First flight	October 25, 1994
Developed from	Bell 222/230

The Bell 430 is an American/Canadian twin-engine light-medium helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. It is a stretched and more powerful development of the Bell 230, which, in turn, was based on the earlier Bell 222.

While developing the reengined Model 222 as the 230, Bell began preliminary design work on a stretched derivative with a four-bladed main rotor in 1991. The Bell 430 was formally launched in February 1992, with two prototypes modified from Bell 230s. The first of these flew in its new configuration on October 25, 1994, and the second prototype, featuring the full 430 avionics suite, first flew on December 19, 1994.^[1]

Production of the Bell 230 ended in August 1995, and 430 production began. The first 430 production aircraft was completed later that year. Canadian certification was awarded on February 23, 1996. Deliveries began in mid-1996.^[1]

On January 24, 2008, Bell announced plans to terminate production of its Model 430 after order commitments were fulfilled in 2008.^[2] Production ended after 136 helicopters were completed,^[3] with the last being delivered in May 2008.^[4]

The Bell 430 features several significant improvements over the 230, the most significant of these being the new four-blade, bearingless, hingeless, composite main rotor. Although both the 230 and 430 are powered by Rolls-Royce (Allison) 250 turboshaft engines, the 430's engines are 10% more powerful. Other changes include the 1 ft 6 in (46 cm) stretched fuselage, providing for two extra seats, an optional EFIS flight deck, and a choice of either skids or retractable wheeled undercarriage.^[1]

The typical configuration seats ten, including a pilot and co-pilot with eight passengers in the main cabin behind them in three rows of seats. Six- and eight-place executive layouts are offered. In an EMS role it can carry one or two stretcher patients with four or three medical attendants, respectively. Maximum external load capacity is 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg).^[1]

The Bell 430 entered service in 1996, with thirteen delivered that year.^[5] In 1998, some 50 Bell 430s were in service with 9,000 flight hours totaled.^[6]

On September 3, 1996, Americans Ron Bower and John Williams broke the round-the-world helicopter record with the second Bell 430, flying westwards from the UK with a time of 17 days, 6 hours and 14 minutes.^[1][4]

 Bulgaria

• Bulgarian Air Force^[7]

 Dominican Republic

• Dominican Republic Air Force^[8]

 Ecuador

• Ecuadorian Navy^[9][10]

 Indonesia

• Pelita Air^[11]

 United States

• AirMed^[12]
• New York State Police.^[13]
• Lee County EMS^[14]
• GrandView Aviation^[15]
• Louisiana State Police^[16]
• Uber Elevate^[17]

On September 2, 2009, an Andhra Govt. Bell 430 carrying Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and his party from Andhra Pradesh in southern India went missing over a local stretch of forest. The charred wreckage was found the next morning, crashed on a hilltop in the Nallamala Hills^[18] leaving no survivors, five persons deceased.

Sources: Airliners.net,^[19][20] helicopterdirect.com,^[21] AircraftOne.com^[22]

Related development

• Bell 222/230

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• AgustaWestland AW109
• Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin
• Sikorsky S-76

• Jackson, Paul, ed. (2004). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2004–2005. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-2614-2.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bell 430.

• Bell 430 at Bell Helicopter web site