Bell Aerospace Services

NEWS - Press Releases

Ground broken on US Helicopter expansion

Bell Aerospace Services Inc. (BellAero) broke ground Oct. 23 on a US Helicopter expansion expected to create about 300 new jobs.

“BellAero/US Helicopter was refurbishing approximately 35 UH-1 helicopters a year prior to BellAero purchasing the company in June of 2005. BellAero produced 45 aircraft last year and expects to deliver 90 aircraft in 2006," said Mike Redenbaugh, Bell chief executive officer. "With the expansion of the flight operations hangar, we expect to deliver over 140 aircraft next year."

BellAero plans to add 175,000 square feet of new apron and connections to runways and a new 30,000-square-foot flight operations hangar as the first phase of the project at its US Helicopter facility in Ozark, Ala.

Ozark Mayor Bob Bunting said the event marked a "great day" for not only Ozark, but Dale County and the sate of Alabama as well.

"This day represents a great symbol of progress. It’s a part of transforming Ozark from textiles to aviation and aerospace," he said. "It has all come together because we had a great company in a world-class industry that saw an opportunity to expand.”

The second and third phases will each include an additional 90,000-square-foot production hangar and taxiway connections.

“You’re about to see Alabama become as productive in the aviation sector as we’ve been in the automotive sector,” Governor Bob Riley said. “This will give people in this area a higher income level and a better quality of life.”

There's nothing magical about such economic development activities, Bunting said.

“It's people and communities working together to make things happen," he said. "In this instance, it was the federal government, state government, county and local government working hand in glove with engineers, economic developers, grants writers and many others to make this day a reality.”

US Helicopter is widely regarded as the premier maintenance and modification center of UH-1 helicopters in the world. The Ozark facility performs maintenance and modification on Huey, Huey II, UH-1N, TH-1H, OH-58, TH-57, TH-67 and Cobra platforms.

About the photo: Breaking ground for the 30,000-square-foot flight operations hangar at US Helicopter are, from left, BellAero President Mike Prieto, Ozark City Council President Marilyn Tamplin, state Sen. Jimmy Holley, Ozark Mayor Bob Bunting, Alabama Governor Bob Riley, Bell CEO Mike Redenbaugh, state Rep. Steve Clouse, state Sen. Harri Anne Smith and Willy Wilson, US Helicopter general manager. Photo by Sarah Gilbert, Southern Star

Bell Aerospace in the news...

Lompoc, CA Police Department Car Show benefiting the Special Olympics

Special Olympics

You look at the title of this article and you’re probably asking yourself ‘Where in the heck is Lompoc, California and why is this in the Bell News'? Well, not everyone at Bell or BellAero is from Texas. Our diverse upbringings are a part of the diversity that makes BellAero, and America what she is. We are all true Americans in every since of the word. Proud of whom we are what we do and where we’re from.

Wayne Heidt is the Manager for BellAero at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. He joined the Bell Team in 1999 starting out as a Bell Military Technical Services Field Representative after serving twenty years as a UH-1 / AH-1 mechanic. He grew up in Lompoc, California; a small city with a population of about 40,000 near Vandenberg Air Force Base. The city has a very unique mix of people in their population; there are folks that work on the base supporting the various aerospace companies and the long time residents, who are the farmers. They grow everything from Alfalfa to Table Turbines (that’s a type of squash) and flowers. In fact, the Lompoc Valley is better known as the “ Valley of Flowers”.

When people think of California they typically think Disneyland, Hollywood, movie stars, surfing and fancy cars. Fancy cars are a big deal there and some Californians spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to build these fabulous cars and then pay an entrance fee to display them in car shows. The majority of these car shows are put together as charity events.

The Lompoc Police Department has put on a Car Show for the past 5 years. Like most cars shows, this one was a charity event with all proceeds going to the Special Olympics. Wayne’s Brother Harry, who served 33 years with the Lompoc Police Department, started and still runs the show. This year’s show included several custom built pedal cars, built by the same folks who so meticulously care for and show their real cars. They have completely reworked these pedal cars including new upholstery and paint jobs - some worth over $1000! They have pearl paint, candy paint, flamed paint and pin striped. For a $1 donation, the public was allowed to cast a vote and get a chance to win the car they voted for. Some that weren’t raffled off were sold though a silent auction. Next to the customized pedal car (went for $2500) autographed by George Barris (legendary hot rod customizer), was the Marine Corsair Pedal Airplane donated by BellAero! It was a particularly big hit with the kids!

There were many other fund raiser activities and in total, the one-day car show pulled in $30,000 for the Special Olympics for a total of $100,000. That’s pretty impressive for a town of 40,000 people! Because of this show the Lompoc Police Department has been recognized as the Single Largest Contributor to the Special Olympics in Southern California!

Amarillo, TX (Sept 27, 2006)

- Bell Aerospace Services, Inc. (BellAero, a subsidiary of Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company) announced today award of a contract extension for H-1 helicopter logistics support from the Naval Air Reserve. This is the second year of a five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide complete field and depot-level support for their fleet of UH-1N and AH-1W helicopters. This contracting vehicle is also available for other government agencies requiring H-1 logistics support.

BellAero, via its BA Support Services unit, will provide technical assistance and maintenance support teams at a number of field locations throughout the world, including support teams embedded with operational units deployed overseas. The depot-level support will be performed at its US Helicopter facility located in Ozark, AL.

According to BellAero president, Michael Prieto, "We are very proud of our past performance supporting the 4th Marine Air Wing. This award further validates the confidence our customer has in the value BellAero provides. It is an honor and privilege to play a role supporting the US Navy and Marine Corps."

Bell Aerospace Services (www.bellaero.com) provides turnkey aviation maintenance and support services throughout the world. In June 2005, BellAero acquired US Helicopter, widely regarded as the premier maintenance and modification center for H-1 helicopters in the world. Over the last fifteen years, US Helicopter has refurbished over five-hundred UH-1 helicopters and remanufactured over one-hundred Huey II rotorcraft. BellAero is a subsidiary of Bell Helicopter.

Bell Aerospace Services Awarded Support Contract from 2nd and 3rd Marine Air Wings

Fort Worth, Texas (August, 1 2007)

Bell Aerospace Services Inc. (BellAero, a subsidiary of Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company) has received the award of a $4.5 Million contract for H-1 helicopter support from the United States Marine Corps. This is the fourth year of a five-year contract to provide field level support for their fleet of UH-1N and AH-1W helicopters.

BellAero, via its BA Support Services Business unit, provides technical assistance and maintenance support teams at a number of field locations throughout the world, including support teams embedded with operational units deployed overseas.

According to BellAero president, Michael Prieto, "We are extremely proud of our past performance supporting the 2nd and 3rd Marine Air Wings. This award further validates the confidence our customer has in the value BellAero provides. It is truly an honor and a privilege to continue playing a crucial role in support of the Marine Corps at numerous locations in the United States and overseas."

Bell Helicopter is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tilt rotor 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.

Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.

http://www.bellhelicopter.com Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. Post Office Box 482, Fort Worth, TX 76101