Groundbreaking reflects success of Bell programs

Before a crowd of several hundred employees and invited guests, Bell Helicopter President and CEO John Garrison joined Amarillo City Mayor Debra McCartt, other local dignitaries and Bell executives to break ground for the new H-1 Hangar at the Military Aircraft Assembly and Delivery Center in Amarillo, Texas. 

The hangar, slated to be completed in October 2010, will provide more than 137,000 square feet of floor space and house up to 10 UH-1Y transport (Huey) and AH-1Z attack (Cobra) helicopters at a time as the H-1’s annual production numbers are set to grow over the next few years. Amarillo is also home for the final assembly of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which is also significantly increasing its annual production rates.

Mayor McCartt complimented Bell on its initial selection of Amarillo 11 years ago and praised the company for the growth and vitality that it had brought to the Texas Panhandle. “Knowing that Amarillo is home to the delivery center for the V-22 and H-1 means so much to the community because they feel that they play a part in the defense of freedom,” she said.

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Keith Danel, commander of the Defense Contract Management Agency field office at Bell, extolled the virtues of what the H-1 brings to bear in conflict situations and reiterated the shared commitment between Bell and his agency to ensure that U.S. Marines continue to receive a safe, high-quality aircraft on schedule. Danel’s flight experience as a Marine aviator includes time as an H-1 test pilot.

Garrison chose to use his second visit to the Military Aircraft Assembly and Delivery Center to congratulate the employees for their combined efforts and teamwork thus far on the V-22 and H-1 programs and challenged them to meet the ambitious targets set for full-rate production. 

He praised the public/private partnerships between the city, Amarillo College, the Amarillo Economic Development Center and Bell to provide both the infrastructure and a trained and capable workforce that has met annual commitment deliveries over the past five years.

This event also provided local residents and news media an initial opportunity to visit the newly expanded assembly center that was completed earlier this summer. Bell's delivery goals for 2010 are 28 V-22 and 20 H-1 aircraft.