Bell Helicopter Textron has announced the first sale of the Bell Boeing 609 tilt-rotor aircraft in Germany. Nuremberg-based Aero-Dienst plans to use the aircraft for charter services, and to support the German automobile association ADAC, for which Aero-Dienst provides exclusive air ambulance services.
Aero-Dienst now operates four Beech King Airs, one Raytheon Hawker 1000 and a mixed fleet of five Lear 60, 55 and 35s.
The new sale brings the 609 order book up to 67 orders for 40 customers in 16 countries. Bell says that no delivery schedule has been decided, but the first production aircraft is due to fly next year, with the first delivery due in 2001.
Source: Flight International
