Oklahoma's Own Jim Gardner joined the News 9 team in July of 2013 as the pilot for Bob Mills SkyNews9 HD. Jim has been a pilot for 38 years. He started his career with Cine/Exec Helicopters in Burbank, California, where his flying duties involved various film and photo work, and the transporting of numerous celebrities. Read Jim’s bio.
Bob Mills SkyNews 9 HD
Bob Mills SkyNews 9 HD is a Bell 505. A single-engine chopper, Bob Mills SkyNews 9 HD is designed to handle a variety of weather conditions, including crosswinds and other challenging environments. The new helicopter has a max speed of 144mph, a range of 242 miles, and will bring back the use of Street Scope for real time locations while flying.
Helicopter Specifications
| Speeds At Max Gross Weight | |
|---|---|
| Max speed | 144 mph |
| Max cruise | 143 mph |
| Range | 242 miles |
| Range at VLRC | 351 miles |
| Max endurance | 3.8 hrs |
| Capacities | |
|---|---|
| Standard seating | 5 |
| Standard fuel | 127.8 US gal |
| Aux fuel | 19 US gal |
| Weights | |
|---|---|
| Empty Weight | 2,180 lbs |
| Standard internal gross weight | 3,680 lbs |
| Useful load, standard | 2,295 lbs |
Standard Specifications
- The Bell 505 helicopter is designed to handle a variety of weather conditions, including crosswinds, and other challenging environments.
- The Bell 505 cockpit has a Garmin G1000NX glass avionics suite.
- Safran HE Arrius 2R engine that is FADEC controlled and can fly up to 20,000 ft.
- Maximum speed of 144 mph.
- 35.9 ft long, 11.4 ft high, and has a rotor diameter of 35 ft.
- The Bell 505's first flight took place in November 2014.
- Introduced at the 2013 Paris Airshow as the Bell SLS (Short Light Single).
- Range of 242 miles.
- Maximum takeoff weight of 3,532 lbs.