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Is this the helicopter of the future?

Is this the helicopter of the future?

10 months ago

Is this the helicopter of the future?

10 months ago


The first concept aircraft by Bell Helicopter has been revealed at Heli-Expo 2017. And the company thinks it could revolutionise the pilot and passenger experience.

Mitch Snyder, Bell Helicopter’s president and CEO, said at the opening ceremony of Heli-Expo that for six months a dedicated team has been looking at how emerging technologies could be incorporated into their products.

helicopter
(Textron/Bell Helicopter)

“Among that team’s first tasks was to display visually the technologies and innovations that present a roadmap that we envision bringing to market,” Snyder said.

And the company came up with the impressive concept aircraft, known as FCX-001.

helicopter
(Textron/Bell Helicopters)

So what’s so great about this new aircraft? Well, it includes a passenger cabin enhanced with same augmented reality technology – so while flying, you could catch up on world news, hold a video conference call, share documents with other passengers. Or you could simply watch a film or play music to relax.

One innovation that’s worth noting is there is only one pilot seat – an artificial intelligence computer system assists the pilot in controlling the aircraft.

The airframe, meanwhile, is made from sustainable materials. And here’s what it could look like inside the rotor-craft…

interiors
(Textron/Bell Helicopters)

Snyder added that Bell Helicopter will be sharing more of the work going on behind closed doors when the time is right – so keep your eyes peeled for more pioneering developments in the aircraft industry.


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