First Maintenance Training Facility for Bell Helicopter to Open in China

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announces it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to assist with the establishment of a maintenance training facility for Bell 206L and 407 helicopters in the Guangdong province of China. Bell Helicopter and Guangzhou Civil Aviation College (Guangzhou College) signed the MOU at Airshow China 2012. The MOU will focus on training for the Bell 206L and Bell 407 product lines, and includes access to training course materials, electronic training systems and continued support throughout training.

“The signing of this MOU reinforces Bell Helicopter’s commitment to increasing our global customer service and support offerings,” says Eric Cardinali, executive vice president, Customer Support and Services for Bell Helicopter. “Working with Guangzhou College is an important step towards ensuring our customers in China have regional access to maintenance and repair training so they can use their aircraft in the most safe and effective manner possible.”

Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the Bell Helicopter Training Academy’s curriculum includes pilot flight training, mechanical, electrical and avionics training and pilot safety training. It is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Association (EASA) and Transport Canada approved training facility. The Guangzhou College MOU is the second MOU Bell Helicopter signed this year to further its training capabilities in China: the first MOU was between Bell Helicopter and Guanchen Aviation to open the first Bell Helicopter authorized flight training school in China.

“The Bell Helicopter Training Academy is a strategic part of Bell Helicopter’s Customer Service and Support offerings,” says Cardinali. “As we continue to add customers around the world, we must ensure they have access to the same level of support and service available in the United States. We are carefully selecting institutions like Guangzhou College to help us provide top-tier support worldwide.”

The Guangzhou College maintenance training facility, located in Guangzhou in the Guangdong province, will be authorized to conduct factory-approved maintenance and repair training for the Bell 206L and Bell 407 helicopters. Over time, this Certified Training Facility (CTF) could expand to deliver maintenance training on additional Bell aircraft models to meet future demand.