Bell 505 Jet Ranger X
Bell’s model 206 Jet Ranger had been a success for a long time, with a decades long production run. However, with the competition becoming stronger, in particular from the Robinson R66, Bell needed to really upgrade the Jet Ranger to stay competitive. This resulted in the design of the Bell 505, that received the name Jet Ranger X. The tail boom and two blade main and two blade tail rotor system are essentially not different from the Bell 206: the main rotor is still on a long mast and the vertical stabiliser is still ‘glued’ to the right side of the tail boom. In that sense it seems to be the first Bell helicopter in which the number of main rotor blades is not reflected in the model number. The horizontal stabilisers are now attached to the underside of the tail boom, about halfway. The fuselage is much more rounded than that of the original Jet Ranger. It has a set of rectangular cooling air intakes behind the rotor mast, around the “real” air intake for the engine in the middle. The fuselage has no separate nose; the front windows run down to the side of the nose, up to the feet of the pilot.
The Jet Ranger X has its own distinctive cockpit and cabin window pattern, with the front windows curving down the side of the fuselage. Also note the typical cooling intakes marked by the arrows.
While the tail of the Bell 505 still looks very similar to that of the Bell 206, it has the horizontal stabilisers attached to the bottom of the tail boom.
Confusion possible with
Bell 206 Jet Ranger
The Bell 206 Jet Ranger is the predecessor of the Bell 505, which is obvious from the name. The rotor system and tail boom are similar, with the mounting of the horizontal stabilisers as clear difference. Furthermore, the fuselage of the Bell 206 is different, having a distinctive pointed bent in the rear and a separate nose with curved windows below the feet of the crew.
Robinson R44/R66
The Robinson R44 and R66 have a similar narrow tail boom as the Bell 505, and the window shapes may also confuse you. The Robinsons have a typical fairing around the long rotor mast though and no engine/gear box housing on top of the fuselage.
HESA Shahed 278
It is obvious that HESA lend a lot from the Bell 206 when it developed the Shahed 278, so it also looks similar to the Bell 505. The Shahed 278 has in particular a differently shaped fuselage, without the rounded rear, and less curved cockpit windows. Also, the horizontal stabilisers are placed on top of the vertical fin. (photo: Shahram Sharifi/WikiMedia)
