Delivery Is Planned Early Next Year

Two Bell 249 helicopters have been sold to Chevron, the aircraft manufacturer said Monday. The aircraft will be servicing Chevron’s oil & gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico with deliveries planned in early 2011.

Bell 429 File Photo

“Bell Helicopter is committed to the development and support of the energy and utility market,” said Larry Roberts, Senior Vice President, Commercial Business for Bell Helicopter. "The 429 which is outfitted with a modern avionics suite capable of integrating Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) has the ability to operate 7 days a week in harsh, remote and unforgiving environments with superior reliability and productivity."

“Upgrading our fleet with the Bell 429 will yield us performance and cost improvement immediately," said Ken Kersker, Gulf of Mexico Manager at Chevron. "The fact that it is already compliant to the standards of the Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) made it an easier decision – Bell understands our business and its challenges.”

The 429 was certified in mid-2009 as a single-pilot instrument flight rules (SPIFR), Category A helicopter under the latest requirements of Part 27 airworthiness rules by Canadian, U.S. and European authorities. It is designed and built to more stringent airworthiness standards than any other light, twin-engine helicopter.

Bell 429 File Photo

The Bell 429 complies to the standards of the Oil and Gas Producers (OGP). Bell says the aircraft's maintenance program is the only one in the helicopter industry that’s based on Maintenance Steering Group 3 (MSG-3) practices that are the foundation of airlines' unprecedented reliability. The 429 is the first rotorcraft to have its maintenance program approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to these standards.

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.com, www.chevron.com