CareFlite Adds Bell 407GXi to Air Ambulance Fleet

See all news

Fort Worth, TX (15 June 2022) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today that CareFlite has signed an agreement to purchase a Bell 407GXi aircraft outfitted with an IFR configuration kit.

“With CareFlite’s new Bell 407GXi and the two IFR certified Bell 429s currently in its fleet, Careflite will continue to facilitate around-the-clock critical care to patients across North and Central Texas,” said Lane Evans, managing director, North America. “Bell is proud to continue to support and provide the CareFlite team with ready and reliable aircraft.”

In addition to the two Bell 429 helicopters in its Helicopter Air Ambulance (HAA) fleet, CareFlite also operates five Bell 407 helicopters that provide critical care transportation to those in need. CareFlite’s aircraft fleet is used for emergency transports in Texas and Oklahoma and long-haul patient transfers throughout the region.

“Bell has been a part of CareFlite’s mission of ‘Making Precious Minutes Count’ since 1979,” said Kevin Reynolds, Interim CEO and COO, CareFlite. “For more than 40 years, CareFlite has utilized Bell aircraft to complete life-saving operations to patients in North and Central Texas, and we are proud to expand our current fleet capabilities with the new Bell 407GXi.”

With this purchase, CareFlite will be the first HAA operator using Bell’s 407GXi IFR kit in North and Central Texas.

Established in 1979 with one helicopter shared between two hospitals, CareFlite now operates seven helicopter bases at Texas Health Fort Worth Hospital, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, North Texas Medical Center Gainesville, McKinney National Airport, Whitney, Granbury Municipal Airport, and Burnet Municipal Airport. Over one million patients have been safely transported by air and ground, since its inception. CareFlite also offers hospital team specialty flights including balloon pump, ECMO, Impella, HROB (High Risk OB) and neonatal transports.

The Bell 407GXi’s new IFR capability will allow all-weather operations while continuing to provide multi-mission capability safely, reliably, and effectively. Bell proves its mature production and sustainment support capability with more than 1,600 Bell 407s globally, and actively performing flight training as well as military and para-public missions. The 407GXi’s Garmin G1000H™ NXi Flight Deck enhances situational awareness and reduces pilot workload by delivering easy-to-read information at a glance.

###

Bell407GX_CareFlite_.jpg

Blakeley Thress

Commercial Business, The Americas
All Media Contacts

About Bell

Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 85 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.

We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of advanced air mobility.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.

Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.

About Textron

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

You may also like

See all news