Fort Worth, TX. - March 6, 2013 - Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), today announced an agreement for the sale of 30 Bell helicopters – 24 Bell 407 and six Bell 206L-4 helicopters – to Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH), one of the largest independent provider of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) in the world. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2013 through 2018. This order marks one of the largest orders in the recent history of HELI-EXPO.
"These new aircraft will allow us to provide increased access to emergency healthcare in the communities we serve. We chose the Bell 407 for its proven performance, which is essential to get our patients to safety as quickly as possible. The dependable and reliable Bell 206L-4 is ready to go when duty calls," said Fred Buttrell, CEO of Air Medical Group Holdings and Med-Trans Corporation. "We appreciate the support Bell Helicopter has provided us over the years and look forward to continuing that relationship."
AMGH subsidiary Air Evac Lifeteam is a O'Fallon, Missouri-based provider of air ambulance services to rural communities across 14 states. Air Evac Lifeteam operates the world's largest fleet of over 100 medically-equipped Bell 206 LongRanger helicopters and has flown more than 220,000 people in critical need of care since its founding in 1985.
AMGH subsidiary Med-Trans Corporation, headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, is a leading provider of emergency air ambulance programs throughout the United States. A proven solution to their partners, Med-Trans offers an array of customized air medical program designs including hybrid models, community based models or traditional hospital-based models. The company’s fleet of 61 aircraft across 16 states representing 55 program locations rapidly delivers teams of highly trained professionals to patients, striving to provide the patient with the best possible outcome.
AMGH subsidiary REACH Air Medical Services, headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, is a leading regional provider of medical transportation services in California, Oregon and Texas. The 18 strategically located bases allows REACH to provide those who they serve with timely access to high quality patient care. REACH's VFR fleet is entirely comprised of Bell 407's
"This agreement confirms AMGH's ongoing trust in the performance of Bell helicopters to effectively execute their missions every day," said Danny Maldonado, Bell Helicopter's executive vice president of Sales and Marketing. "We are proud to be a part of this organization’s life-saving services, and we appreciate the opportunity to continue supplying the quality aircraft and support they require."
Bell Helicopter has been a trustworthy partner with the HEMS industry since its inception. Bell Helicopter continues to support the world's growing need for time-sensitive medical transportation services by providing safe and reliable aircraft. It is for that reason emergency medical service agencies around the world rely on Bell Helicopter products.
The Bell 407 and Bell 407GX integrate reliability, speed, performance and maneuverability, making it the ideal aircraft for HEMS missions. The spacious cabin can be modified to accommodate a broad range of medical equipment, while a standard bi-fold door with a 61-inch (155 cm) opening ensures quick and easy patient loading and unloading. The all-composite, four-bladed rotor system provides a smooth ride, excellent hover performance and speed, even in high altitudes and extreme temperatures. The 407 offers advanced safety features such as a rupture-resistant fuel system, engine exceedence monitoring, energy absorbing seats and a collective mounted throttle to keep power at the pilot's fingertips.
The dependable and reliable Bell 206L-4 provides operators a multi-mission capable helicopter with low operating costs. With seven place seating and more than 2,000 lbs of useful load, the Bell 206L-4 delivers mission flexibility. The Bell 206L-4 offers superb visibility for difficult scene landings with large cabin windows and wrap-around windows for pilots.
Backed by Bell Helicopter's #1 ranked Customer Support and Services, Bell Helicopter offers a global support network with a variety of product and service offerings including maintenance, repair and overhaul, blade repair, and customization.
About Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.
About Textron Inc.
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 Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. 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 and difficult conditions in the financial markets which may adversely impact our customers' ability to fund or finance purchases of our products.
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