Features Innovations New Technologies
Bell Helicopter hosts Textron’s first engineering bootcamp

Jan. 14, 2008, Fort Worth, TX -Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, conducted
Textron's first Engineering Bootcamp January 2-7. Ten junior-level
engineering students from The University of Texas (UT) participated in
this action-packed event. The students were competitively selected and
equally split between aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering
majors. They were assisted by six "advocates," Bell engineers who
graduated from UT less than three years ago, and the Engineering &
XworX Technical Fellows.

Students were
given a project to design a flight control system for attitude
independent aircraft. At the conclusion of the bootcamp, the students
briefed Bell's leadership team on their approach. Collin Zreet, UT
student from Dallas, Texas, described how the team learned and applied
Textron Six Sigma tools to create the design concept. Joseph Garcia, UT
student from Puerto Rico, demonstrated the recommended concept using a
prototype built by the students.

Elaine Vaught,
Bell senior vice president, Engineering & XworX, credits this type
of recruiting strategy with building excitement for Bell Helicopter,
Textron, and the aerospace industry at the right time in the college
experience. "We see university students making decisions about where to
start a career by the time they become seniors. If we wait to attract
seniors to Bell Helicopter or any Textron business, we���re too
late," Vaught stated.

The entire experience was
planned and managed by 'drill sergeants' Carolyn Tobin and Scott
Harris. Tobin is Bell's director of Proposal & Business Development
Processes, and Harris is the Technology Innovation manager. They
accompanied the group from 7 AM until after 11 PM every day and
witnessed many first-time experiences. The group toured five facilities
in the Fort Worth area, flew to Amarillo to see the assembly facility
for the V-22 and H-1 aircraft, rode in a helicopter, and completed the
Bell product familiarization course.

Lauren
Moeller, UT student from Katy, Texas, summed it up when she said,
"Everybody we met at Bell has the 'best' job. The bootcamp experience
gave me the confidence that my 'best' job could be here as well. Thank
you, thank you, thank you from me and my team for giving us the
experience of a lifetime."

Dick Millman, Bell's
president and CEO, told the students that the bootcamp was as valuable
for Bell as it was for them. "We learn from your reaction to what you
are experiencing and from your questions. You provided a fresh set of
eyes."

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 a $10 billion multi-industry company operating in 33
countries with approximately 37,000 employees in continuing operations.
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, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming,
E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com.

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