Tail rotor-less because a new air jet system stabilizes flight, shape shifting because the main rotors change shape depending on how the pilot needs to fly. Taking a more detailed look at the FCX-009’s design, beginning with the rear of the aircraft, it does not feature a tail rotor — a notable departure for Bell. Instead, the anti-torque is provided by multiple fans embedded within the tailboom. The vented system gives the capability to thrust in either direction, and will also have thrust vector control, allowing it to forgo a horizontal stabilizer.

Before its unveiling at Heli-Expo, the FCX-001 had been shown to only a handful of people within the industry. “There’s some excitement, but there’s also some challenges,” said Bilbrey. “Why would it look like that? Why would it try to perform a certain way or change certain things? We’ve had a lot of wow responses, and then I think we’re anticipating some questions obviously to challenge us to see where we take it next.