SiriusXM Aviation Weather & Audio Available with Purchase of Bell Aircraft
Aircraft are becoming more reliant on satellite-delivered communication and information for safe operations, and with that in mind, Bell Helicopter has begun making SiriusXM weather and audio available with the purchase of a new aircraft.
Bell becomes the first helicopter OEM to provide its customers with a three-month subscription to SiriusXM's satellite-delivered aviation weather, information, and audio programming services with the purchase of a new rotor wing aircraft.
A three-month subscription to SiriusXM's satellite-delivered aviation weather, information, and audio programming services are available on the following Bell models; Bell 407GX, Bell 429, and the Bell 525.
Bell customers will receive three months of SiriusXM's top tier of Aviation Weather and Information service, plus the SiriusXM All Access programming package, which offers the full spectrum of SiriusXM audio entertainment. SiriusXM Aviation Weather and audio services are available in the continental United States and Canada.
"We are very pleased to expand the SiriusXM Aviation Weather and Information trial program to Bell, an innovative and highly-respected leader in the industry, as the first participating helicopter manufacturer."
Dave Wasby, VP, Aviation, Marine and Music for Business for SiriusXM.
"We are very pleased to expand the SiriusXM Aviation Weather and Information trial program to Bell, an innovative and highly-respected leader in the industry, as the first participating helicopter manufacturer," said Dave Wasby, VP, Aviation, Marine and Music for Business for SiriusXM. "With SiriusXM Aviation, Bell will provide their pilots the ability to receive valuable weather features and information that are not always available via ground based networks, and updated data at a faster refresh rate. Plus with SiriusXM's All Access package, pilots can enjoy the best in audio entertainment in the cockpit for the duration of their flights, as well as outside the aircraft with the SiriusXM app."
Bell helicopters come optionally equipped with Garmin GDL69 avionics to deliver SiriusXM Aviation Weather features including:
High-Resolution Composite Radar updating every 2.5 minutes
Surface Visibility
NEXRAD Storm Cell Attributes
2.5 minute updates for Lightning strike locations: cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground
Base Reflectivity Radar
Plus other capabilities that ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) weather doesn't offer including:
No line-of-sight restrictions
No altitude limitations
No gaps in coverage coast-to-coast
Weather & Info from taxi to landing
(Source: SiriusXM news release. Bell 429 image provided by Bell Helicopter)