"I've flown the Bell 427 a couple of times and it's a real hot rod." So says Terry Stinson, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter Textron, who is betting sales of the new twin-engined helicopter will be as hot as its performance.

The eight-seat 427 is making its first U.S. show appearance here at NBAA, taking a brief break from a flight test program aimed at certification at the end of the year. Orders now stand at 75-"remarkable for a new helicopter not yet in production, and even more remarkable for a twin," Stinson told Show News. He is convinced sales will outstrip those of the record-breaking Bell 407 single-engined helicopter, which notched 130 orders in its first year. Sales of the 407 now exceed 300 aircraft.

Bell is also showing its Model 609 Civil Tiltrotor mockup here at NBAA. Its regular appearance at air shows around the world must make it one of the most flown mockups of all time-albeit in the back of a cargo plane.

Bell, which has 67 firm commitments for the revolutionary $8 million to $10 million aircraft, just announced a new $40 million Tiltrotor Assembly Center in Amarillo, Texas. First deliveries are planned for early 2001.

Stinson had hoped to come to NBAA with the McDonnell Douglas MD520 and 600 helicopters as part of the Bell product line, but the purchase of those operations from Boeing was prevented earlier this year by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Now the MD line hangs in limbo, and may be suffering irreparable damage.

"Customers and potential customers are quite rightly concerned about the question of ownership and future support for the products," said Stinson. "The FTC decision was a big disappointment for us, and a very big disappointment for the market and users of the helicopters.

"The longer this goes on, the more damage there might be to the product," he added. Would Bell rebid if the FTC reverses its decision? "Support and enthusiasm for the MD line is waning," Stinson said. "That is only normal. We would have to reassess the situation."

Bell had hoped to absorb the MD line, which has proven particularly popular with law enforcement agencies. "That would have opened up a new market for us," Stinson lamented.

Meanwhile, Bell is focusing on new technology to make its helicopters better. "We're transitioning the company from a metal manufacturer to composites," noted Stinson. This has cut the total parts count on the fuselage of the 427 twin by 70 percent, making it lighter, quieter and less needful of maintenance. "The lighter weight means a greater load, and this and the other features bring its operating costs below those of the competition," said Stinson. "It is a million dollars cheaper per copy. So not only does it have more capability, but it costs less." The fuselage and tail are built in Korea by Samsung Aerospace.

Economic problems in Asia are not a threat to the 427, Stinson said. "In Samsung we are partnered with one of the strongest companies there. Does Samsung have the ability and desire to be a major partner? It does, and that company has met all targets and all obligations to the program," he said. Bell shipped the first set of production tooling to Samsung last month, and expects all the fuselages for the 427 to be rolling out of the Korean factory in February.

Despite a burgeoning order book, Stinson does not take a rosy view of the world. "Bell is not growing at the rate I would like, due largely to softness in the Pacific Rim, which typically accounts for 20 percent in dollar volume of our sales," he said. "We're not seeing the sales there we've seen historically," although orders from the Americas are 25 percent ahead of projections. Stinson is also keeping an eye on oil prices, currently at historically low levels, as the oil patch is a major market for Bell's products.

By John Morris