The Bell 407 Helicopter is a civilian workhorse in service with governments, corporations, hospitals, and emergency services worldwide. Its 606-kilowatt gas turbine motor drives four by five-meter rotor blades to a cruising speed of 152 mph. This is powerful enough to take it to an altitude of 18,000 feet. But, it needs a sealed lead acid battery to get the rotor turning, and support the safety systems in the air.
Sealed Lead Acid Beats NiCad Hands Down
Bell prefers sealed lead acid (SLA) to nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries for a variety of compelling reasons. Firstly, they do not contain hazardous materials making them easier to ship and store. This is great, given the vehicles are in service in so many countries.
However that is not the end of it by far. Solid, reliable SLA batteries are cheaper too. They have greater starting power, with more in reserve after doing their job. Then they recharge twice as fast as Ni-Cad. And they only require a maintenance check after 1,800 hours, or 18 month’s duty.
Sealed Lead Acid is Providing Sterling Service
Solid, reliable Bell 407 Helicopters are performing hard-working duties all over the world. The first demo model flew in 1994. Since then, many thousands entered service before Bell introduced an upgrade in 2013. Yet they continue to keep flying using the starting power of sealed lead acid batteries.
Possibly The Longest Sealed Lead Acid Journey
Some starter batteries have traveled distances equivalent to the circumference of the earth. Possible the longest single one was the pole-to-pole journey a Bell 407 Helicopter made in 2007.
The journey, sponsored by National Geographic covered 36,000 miles, and took 300 flight hours over 189 days.
The objective was to provide educational outreach to schools, and raise funds for charities. Throughout the trip, reliable sealed lead acid batteries faithfully restarted the Rolls-Royce engine sometimes in remote areas. Another victory for lead acid to notch up on its journey!
Related
Sealed Lead Acid Batteries – The Basics
What is a Nickel Cadmium Battery?
Preview Image: Bell 407 Rotorhead
