Powerline Patrol Missions Across Four Southcentral States

Bell Textron announced at VAI Verticon 2025 a purchase agreement signed by Entergy Services for two Bell 429 helicopters. Entergy Services is an integrated electric power generation, transmission, and retail distribution company that delivers electricity to 3 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Entergy began over 100 years ago in Arkansas and currently provides power services through five regulated utility operating companies: Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans, and Entergy Texas. Headquartered in New Orleans, the energy company plans to deploy the newly acquired Bell 429s for powerline inspection missions to ensure its consistent resilience during natural disasters.

Lane Evans, Managing Director of North America for Bell said, “Entergy’s choice to add two Bell 429s to its fleet demonstrates its commitment to using a best-in-its-class aerial platform when inspecting powerlines. The Bell 429’s performance characteristics set it apart from other aircraft in its class, giving energy operators a dynamic edge when supplying power to communities in need.”

The Bell 429 is an advanced light twin-engine helicopter with excellent speed, range, and hover performance. It is single-pilot capable and is recognized for its reliability across diverse missions including air medical, public safety, oil & gas, and corporate transport.

There are currently more than 500 Bell 429s in operation worldwide, and have a cumulative 735,000+ flight hours.

FMI:  www.bellflight.com/