Your Own Personal Time Machine: Why a Bell Rotorcraft is Worth the Investment

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Your time is your most valuable resource and with more and more airlines reporting delays or cancellations, air travel is becoming challenging. Whether it’s work or play, owning a helicopter can not only transform your business, but get you jetting off to your next adventure sooner.

According to Bell Regional Sales Manager Ben Lassiter, the buying process starts with “defining your mission.” Deciding what your main purpose is for your aircraft can help you design the perfect helicopter to meet your performance expectations.

Once you define your mission, the journey can begin. Here’s why a helicopter should be your next major purchase.

Convenience: Unlike a fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters enjoy runway independence and aren’t limited to just an airport. It’s not uncommon for owners to park their helicopters in their own backyard to save time and energy.

“We’ve even had one customer who ended up storing his helicopter in a two-story garage on his property,” says Lassiter. “It wasn’t originally designed to hold one, but his helicopter can fit into small and confined tight spaces.”

The Best Accessory: Just like a luxury car, your helicopter can be customized to fit your needs. From the seating options to enhanced accessories to the color schemes. Your space will not only be luxurious for you and your passengers inside and out, but comfortable for a smooth ride. Owners even have the option to create a personalized N-Number.

Though you may not be able to fly your new helicopter off the lot right away, you can rest assured that your aircraft is being built with your specific needs in mind. Make sure that when you purchase, you keep the calendar in mind if you need it for a specific purpose or date.

Award-Winning Customer Service: Bell’s salespeople are here to guide you through the buying process and offer you resources for any questions you may have – especially after your first flight.

“What I was expecting was the salesman, and what I got was probably one of the most accomplished aviators I've ever met,” says Bell 429 owner Christian Palmaz of his sales representative Greg Maitlen. “Bell's full of people like that. There's a lot of very accomplished pilots and aviators and engineers that are a phone call away.”

Bell offers several ways to help maintain your aircraft after delivery. Your helicopter automatically comes with a three-year complimentary warranty. If you want additional coverage, you can purchase it through a Customer Advantage Plan.

The Customer Advantage Plans (CAP) take the guessing out of maintenance cost. With CAP, owners can find a maintenance plan that fits their needs. All plans offer exchanges and coverage for unscheduled removals. If you’re looking at coverage for scheduled removals, that can be covered under CAP Premier. Bell also recently launched a new plan where customers can purchase blocks of hours upfront rather than paying as you fly.

Ultimately, CAP helps take the guessing out of maintenance costs by making it more predictable and stable in case of any unexpected costs.

“That way when customers write a check, there’s no surprise,” says Lassiter. “We have the tools in place to off-load the costs and make them predictable for our customers.”

When you purchase a Bell helicopter, it also gives you a spot at the Bell Training Academy (BTA). BTA provides required pilot and maintenance training to ensure the pilot is aware of the aircraft systems, emergency situations that could occur, and proper maintenance. In addition to using Bell aircraft, BTA use simulators for pilots to learn different procedures and scenarios.

With a helicopter, your time is yours to control, and your world is bigger than your commute to work. Though time machines may be fictional, a helicopter may be your closest option.

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.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders; our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the introduction of new products and upgrades with features and technologies desired by our customers; changes in government regulations or policies on the export and import of our products; volatility in the global economy or changes in worldwide political conditions that adversely impact demand for our products; volatility in interest rates or foreign exchange rates; and risks related to our international business, including establishing and maintaining facilities in locations around the world and relying on joint venture partners, subcontractors, suppliers, representatives, consultants and other business partners in connection with international business, including in emerging market countries.

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