Model 407 Leads The Way

Building on its news of 181 helicopters delivered last year, Bell Helicopter announced this week 2007 was also a banner year for helicopter orders -- with a total of 365 total orders taken.

"Bell Helicopter once again has shown that our commercial products continue to resonant in the marketplace and customer demand remains high," said Bob Fitzpatrick, Bell's senior vice president for Marketing and Sales. "It is both humbling and gratifying to know the importance our products play in our customer's success."

Bell states its model 407 continues to lead the way as the company's most popular commercial product -- followed by the new 429, the 412EP and the 206L4. To date, Bell has also sold 26 Huey II kits. These kits represent a popular way for customers to get the latest performance upgrades in a cost-effective manner and extend the life of their Huey fleets.

Danny Maldonado, Bell's vice president Commercial Business Development stated, "Customer demand continues to drive our backlog higher, which now totals $3.8 Billion and represents a 28% increase over 2006. With the continued high demand for our products, our challenge is now to meet this demand in a timely manner."

Bell also announced plans in 2007 to streamline its product line, by ending production of several older models. The company believes this action will enable the company to significantly increase production of its most popular models.

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.com