Bell 429 enters the oil & gas segment
November 22, 2010
Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, today announced the sale of two (2) 429 helicopters to Chevron, one of the largest integrated energy companies in the world. The aircraft will be servicing Chevron's oil & gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico with deliveries planned in early 2011.
"All of us at Bell Helicopter are delighted that Chevron, a long time customer, is the first company in the oil and gas market to see the value and the impact the 429 can have on their operation," said Larry Roberts, Senior Vice President, Commercial Business for Bell Helicopter. "Bell Helicopter is committed to the development and support of the energy and utility market. 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, "said Roberts.
Chevron, headquartered in San Ramon, California, is one of the world's largest integrated energy companies. They are engaged worldwide in every aspect of the crude oil and natural gas industry, including exploration and production, manufacturing, marketing and transportation, chemicals manufacturing and sales, geothermal energy, and power generation.
Ken Kersker, Gulf of Mexico Manager at Chevron said, "Upgrading our fleet with the Bell 429 will yield us performance and cost improvement immediately. 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, US and European authorities. It is designed and built to more stringent airworthiness standards than any other light, twin-engine helicopter.
The Bell 429 has the largest cabin in its class - providing unsurpassed headroom and ample legroom, with the front row of passenger cabin seats easily reconfigurable or effortlessly removed to convert from passenger to cargo service or any combination of the two. Its compliance to the standards of the Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) and its performance specifications make it especially suitable to offshore oil & gas support.
The 429'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 high standards.
Source: Bell Helicopter