Prominent Aviaition Enthusiast To Take First Delivery

Confirmed during a demonstration tour in Zhuhai, China on Wednesday, Bell Helicopter announced it has received its first customer order in the People's Republic of China for its model 429 helicopter.

Sold to Mr. Ren Jianjun, a prominent industrialist from the Hebei province, the order is the first Bell 429 scheduled for delivery in China. Mr. Ren, an aviation enthusiast and pilot, also owns and operates a Bell 206B-3 JetRanger.

Helping facilitate the purchase of the aircraft was Heliflite China.

"The Bell 429 was designed with a global mission scope, and is particularly well suited for the multi-mission roles in the Asia Pacific region, and in particular, China," said Larry D. Roberts, Senior Vice President Commercial Business in a statement released by Bell. "The 429 is truly a new force in the marketplace and will appeal to the discerning customer who is interested in reliability, performance and maintenance-cost containment. We are honored to partner with Mr. Ren and bring the first 429 to the People's Republic of China."

According to Bell customer response to the 429 has been "very positive and interest continues to build among potential buyers for its use in private operations, corporate transport and utility missions, emergency medical services and for civil government agencies."

Bell 429 File Photo

The Bell 429 meets the latest requirements of Part 27 airworthiness rules, set in 2007, which are more stringent than the requirements, set a decade or more ago, under which competing light twins were certified.

Designed using the Maintenance Steering Group 3 (MSG-3) process, the 429 is the only helicopter flying whose maintenance program is approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada.

In August, the Bell 429 continued its world tour in the Asia Pacific region with customer demonstrations in Australia, Hong Kong and China. More than 1,500 customers have experienced the 429's speed, performance and spacious cabin firsthand during the world tour, which is scheduled to continue later this year in Africa and the Middle East.

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.com