Bell Helicopter on Wednesday said it will be introducing its new range of helicopters called ?429? in India soon. The company is presently showcasing the chopper at the aviation show here.
?Customer response to the 429 has been extremely strong since its certification,? said Bell president and CEO John L Garrison. ?We?re confident that as more customers get to experience its performance and unique features, and they will want the 429 in their operations,? he said.
Certified as a single-pilot instrument flight rules (SPIFR), Category A helicopter, under the latest requirements of Part 27 airworthiness rules, the 429 is to enter service shortly with its first customer, Air Methods Corporation. Meanwhile, for the second time in two months, it has taken steps to lower its customers? costs of maintaining the new 429, reducing by half the number of its parts that are subjected to life limits.
?The drive to lower maintenance costs for 429 operators is a clear sign of Bell?s commitment to our commercial customers,? Garrison said. Certified to the latest version of Part 27 airworthiness standards, the 429 is the only helicopter whose maintenance programme is based on Maintenance Steering Group 3 (MSG-3) practices that are the foundation of the world airlines? unprecedented reliability. The 429 is the first rotorcraft to have its maintenance programme approved to these high standards by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Meanwhile, Bell Helicopter Finance Group, a division of Textron Financial Corporation, is offering Bell Helicopter customers a new financing of its helicopter acquisitions that are completed in the first half of 2010.