Honeywell and Eagle Reach 10 Year Milestone with the HTS900 Engine

Honeywell has been a proud partner of Eagle Copter’s re-engine program for the Bell 407, now formerly known as the Eagle 407HP, for over ten years. The concept for this engine transfiguration originated back in 2009 and today, the Eagle 407HP has helped enable operators throughout the United States, Canada and the South Pacific. Eagle has grown to become one of the most respected Bell Helicopter Service facilities in the world.

The Bell 407 helicopter is a globally attractive aircraft that is commonly used in high temperature and/or high altitude missions such as firefighting, utility, emergency medical services, and law enforcement work. The Eagle 407HP features Honeywell’s HTS900 engine, which provides operators with up to 17% lower fuel burn costs, 12% lower direct maintenance costs, and 22% more shaft horsepower. One of the major benefits this engine provides to operators is the nearly 600-pound external payload improvement in hot and/or high altitude conditions. Other features include a dual centrifugal compressor, cooled turbine blades and nozzles, and a dual channel full authority digital engine control.

A noteworthy milestone that was recently achieved over the past decade, was the successful partnership with Air Methods and AirLife Denver in August of 2018. AirLife Denver is an award winning medical transport service known for being the first air medical operator to configure to the Eagle 407HP. Eagle Copters have successfully converted 26 Bell 407s to the Eagle 407HP by replacing the standard engine with Honeywell’s HTS900.

Another milestone that involved working with emergency services was Eagle’s partnership with Yellowhead Helicopters. The privately owned Canadian company has upgraded two helicopters with the Eagle 407HP conversion. Yellowhead Helicopters chose to upgrade their two helicopters for a range of missions such as heli-skiing, firefighting, and search and rescue exploration. They believe that the extra power and performance is very beneficial for all their mission needs.

In addition to fighting fires with Yellowhead, Eagle reached yet another milestone with the Nevada Department of Wildlife back in 2016. The Nevada Department of Wildlife was looking to update their aging helicopters with new and improved helicopter platforms to help expand their mission profiles. Business needs included protecting, preserving, managing and restoring wildlife, all throughout Nevada’s warm climate and high mountain ranges.

The past decade has provided Eagle Copters with many opportunities to accelerate their markets to worldwide customers in need. CEO and President of Eagle Helicopters, Barry Kohler states that “our 407HP fleet is expanding and we recently surpassed our 11,000 flight hours.” While evaluating potential partners and markets, “we are in the process of placing aircraft into China” – Barry Kohler. Over the past decade, Eagle Copters has managed to convert 26 Bell 407 helicopters since the Inlet Barrier Filter Certification in 2016. Kohler went on to say “the production rate from 2016 to today is one engine per month, which is pretty significant for our team.”

For more information on the Eagle 407HP upgrade, you can find both Eagle Copters and Honeywell at the HAI Heli Expo March 4-7th in Atlanta, GA. Go speak with the team about the Eagle 407HP in person at booth number C2006 and learn more about the HTS900 engine with Honeywell at booth number C3107.