Rotorcraft · ICAO B430

Bell 430

The Bell 430 developed the Bell 230 into a longer, roomier light twin with a four-blade composite main rotor and a modern glass cockpit. Its stretched cabin made it attractive for air ambulance and corporate transport missions where the earlier Bell 222 family was tight on space. The type’s smooth, pointed fuselage retains the silhouette popularised by the 222, while its rotor system and engines were substantially updated. Fewer than 140 were built before production ended in 2008.

Bell 430, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bob Adams from Amanzimtoti, South Africa · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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A stretched Bell 230 with a four-blade composite rotor and glass cockpit, roomy enough for air-ambulance work.

Specifications

Length14.1 m (46 ft)
Height3.6 m (12 ft)
Rotor diameter11.3 m (37 ft)
Maximum passengers8
Persons on board10
Crew2
Maximum take-off weight4.2 t
Range348 NM (644 km)
Maximum speed150 kt (278 km/h)
Service ceiling15,000 ft (4,572 m)
Optimum ceiling15,000 ft (4,572 m)
Rate of climb1,350 ft/min (6.9 m/s)
Fuel capacity935 l
Engines2x Rolls-Royce 250-C40B
Units built136

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Bell 430 starts as a Very rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Bell, the 430 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.

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