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Bell Reports Status of the 429 Program

Feb. 25, 2009, Fort Worth, TX- Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, provided a
status update on a wide range of activities surrounding the 429
development program.
According to Danny Maldonado, senior vice president of Customer
Support and Chief Service Officer at Bell, "There is so much more to
building a new helicopter than just producing the aircraft.

Over the
past three years we have had teams of people working to make sure the
proper support structure will be in place to ensure our customers get
the training and logistical support they will need to successfully
operate the 429." 

Neil Marshall, commercial program director for the 429 program
stated, "As we approach the certification date we are working
internally to coordinate our efforts to support this helicopter from
day one so our customers receive the world-class customer support they
have come to expect from Bell Helicopter."
Maintenance support has been a critical focus for the Bell team and
today they proudly announced that the Bell 429 will be the first
commercial new generation light twin to be listed on the EASA
maintenance program.

A Customer Maintenance Advisory Panel is in place
to develop the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA's) using a
process known as MSG-3. Using a systems analysis approach to
maintenance, MSG-3 ensures aircraft safety and operational economy,
minimizes deterioration of the inherent aircraft reliability and
associated costs, and minimizes on-aircraft failures through
preventative maintenance. Bell hopes to receive ICA acceptance from
Transport Canada, EASA and the FAA in the near future.