On the Record with
TERRY STINSON, CHAIRMAN & CEO, BELL HELICOPTER

Bell Expects 1st AB 139 Fleet Order Soon

Bell Helicopter CEO Terry Stinson.

This year's Heli-Expo promises to be a bright one for Bell Helicopter chairman and CEO Terry Stinson, who has been sworn to secrecy over an imminent fleet order for the 15-passenger AB 139 medium-twin utility helicopter.

"It is a very significant order we would have loved to announce here, but the customers don't always care about our show," he said.

"This is a really terrific commercial order, and I can't say more than that," Stinson added. However, Show News subsequently learned it involves multiple aircraft over several years.

Stinson is upbeat as Bell comes off "a pretty good 2000" and anticipates an equally good 2001. Neither an emergency Airworthiness Directive limiting the top speed of the Bell 407to 100 kts, nor criticism of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor program has tempered his enthusiasm for the business.

"The 407 continues to be a runaway best seller in the U.S. despite the reduced VNE," he said (see story below), "and tiltrotor technology has not been an issue whatsoever with the V-22 crashes over the last several months."

Bell believes its 430 has taken over from the Sikorsky S-76 as "the aircraft of choice."

Describing last year, he said it was typified by strong economies in the U.S. and Europe, some good signs of strength in Asian countries that resulted in sales of a number of Bell 412s, a very strong South and Central America, and extremely strong growth in Mexico into which Bell sold the full range of its commercial products in good numbers.
"On top of that, Brazil started to bounce back.

It all provides a sound base for this year, "for which we see growth of three to five percent," Stinson said.

Among the highlights of last year were the delivery of no fewer than 62 single-engined Bell 407s (customers came flocking in when the speed restrictions were lifted), and the popularity of the Bell 430. "This has become one of the bright spots of our future. We delivered 11 last year, and took orders for more than another 20," Stinson said.

One disapointment was the twin-engined Bell 427, of which only five were delivered as Bell delayed production to ensure the 407 tail problems were not repeated. Deliveries will now ramp up as Bell works toward IFR certification and works off a three-year production backlog of 80 plus orders.

By John Morris