Fort Worth, Texas - Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, continues to increase its sales and customer support activities in Europe delivering seven aircraft and signing nine contracts within the last three months, as well as launching Bell 407GX and Bell 429 flight demonstration tours, and gaining EASA approval for a new customer support facility.
"Bell Helicopter is and will continue to be a leader in the world of aviation and increasing our presence in Europe is vital to our success. It is an exciting time to be involved in aviation and to be a part of Bell Helicopter. We have high expectations for ourselves and the industry, particularly in the European market," stated Danny Maldonado, Bell Helicopter's executive vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing.
Deliveries included three Bell 429s to Switzerland, Romania and Czech Republic as well as four 407GXs to Belgium, Denmark, Iceland and Germany. The 429 delivered to Switzerland was the first with EMS interior to be operated in Europe by one of the leading providers of air medical services, Air Zermatt.
With an increase in the demand for oil and gas, helicopter emergency medical services and parapublic aircraft, Bell Helicopter signed nine contracts with European customers in recent months - including an agreement with the Turkish National Police for the purchase of 15 Bell 429s.
The Bell 429 and Bell 407GX have generated wide interest in Europe with their demonstration tours. This week the Bell 429 EMS demo aircraft is on static display at the ILA Berlin Air Show. The Bell 407GX, featured at Farnborough International Air Show, is currently touring the United Kingdom.
This year Bell Helicopter received EASA Part 145 maintenance, overhaul and repair certification for their joint facility with sister company, Cessna Aircraft Company, in Prague. The customer support and services center, also serving as Bell Helicopter's European headquarters for regional commercial sales, brings first-class support and maintenance to customers in Europe.
"Our relentless dedication to our European customers is driving our continued growth," said Patrick Moulay, Bell Helicopter's managing director in Europe. "We are successful because we have fantastic products adapted to the European market, like the 429, and the #1 ranked customer support and services team in the industry," added Moulay.
About the Bell 429
The Bell Helicopter 429 is one of the most advanced light twin IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) helicopters ever developed. The 429 has set the standard for light twins, delivering exceptional speed, range, hover performance and enhanced safety margins. The 429 boasts a spacious cabin with 204ft3 (5.78m3) of usable volume, optional rear clam-shell doors and seating for 7 passengers and 1 crew.
About the Bell 407GX
Built on the success of the Bell 407, the 407GX is the only helicopter equipped with the innovative Garmin G1000HTM integrated glass flight deck, making it the most advanced light, single-engine rotorcraft on the market. The Garmin G1000H⢠enhances mission awareness with HTAWS, TIS, moving map display and Garmin's Helicopter Synthetic Vision Technology.
EHS Today, a magazine for environment, health and safety leaders, has selected Bell Helicopter as one of America's Safest Companies. This is the second time Bell Helicopter has been awarded this distinction which honors companies who have clearly demonstrated a commitment to employee safety and health, environment management and risk control.
"This award acknowledges the investments we have made in safeguarding our machines, improving our facilities, and providing enhanced safety training for our employees and our leadership," says John Garrison, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter. "It represents the personal accountability and commitment each employee has made to speak up for safety by reporting potentially unsafe conditions, participating in safety walks and looking out for colleagues."
Bell Helicopter is a leader in safety performance with 70 percent less OSHA recordable injuries as compared to the aerospace manufacturing industry average. The company joins ABB Inc., BASF Corp., General Cable, Honeywell Aerospace, Life Technologies, URS, and Total Safety in receiving the America's Safest Companies designation this year.
"We are very enthusiastic about this year's group of America's Safest Companies," said Sandy Smith, editor-in-chief of EHS Today. "They are transformational safety leaders. They might not call what they do transformational, but we do. They have no interest in being average or in having just compliance with federal regulations as a goal. They strive to be world-class."
To be considered one of America's Safest Companies by EHS Today, companies must demonstrate transformational EHS leadership in the form of management support and employee involvement; innovative solutions to safety challenges; injury and illness rates lower than the average for their industries; comprehensive training programs; evidence that prevention of incidents is the cornerstone of the safety process; excellent communication internally and externally about the value of safety; and a way to substantiate the benefits of the safety process.
About Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT), is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.