One Above Aviation flight school, better known by its U.S.-registered trademark EatSleepFly, has received its first Bell 505 helicopter at John Wayne Airport, Orange County, marking the first 505 to be delivered to Los Angeles, California. The aircraft has been leased through the company’s private student.
One Above Aviation had its chief pilot, Mark Robinson, fly the Bell 505 helicopter across the United States from Montreal, Quebec, to John Wayne Airport — a distance of over 2,000 miles.
Robinson was one of the first instructors in California to attend the esteemed Bell Training Academy in Hurst, Texas, to be qualified to teach in the Bell 505 — also known as the Jet Ranger X. The course is devoted to the new systems of the helicopter to include the Garmin 1000H, Arrius 2R engine, upgrades since certification, and the five hours of flight required by the FAA to instruct in a new model aircraft.
The Bell 505 features a well-engineered Safran turbine engine that has a time-between-overhauls (TBO) of 3,000 hours. One Above believes it’s a great helicopter for several applications in the civilian and law enforcement market.
The company plans to use the aircraft for Part 135 operations, student training and advanced maneuvers.
“While at the Bell Training Academy you get a feeling that Bell is doing something incredible with this new machine,” said Robinson. “With delivery on schedule to meet one a day, it now reminds you how the Bell 206 platform was so popular from the 1960s. For pilots and passengers this aircraft is a joy to fly, especially with the introduction of a FLY switch for pilots instead of a twist throttle.”
Looking forward, One Above Aviation plans to get on board more Bell aircraft on leaseback to fill the demand of the ever-growing helicopter community in Southern California.
