Bell Helicopter Makes Debut as First Major Helicopter Manufacturer to Exhibit at CES

CES 2018 – Las Vegas, NV (January 9, 2018) - Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company and major global helicopter manufacturer, revealed today at CES 2018 its air taxi cabin design and fully integrated user experience. The four-passenger cabin demonstrates Bell’s view of an on-demand mobility aircraft that focuses on a people-first engineered user experience tailored with an urban air taxi ride.

“Bell Helicopter is innovating at the limits of vertical flight and challenging the traditional notion of aviation to solve real-world problems,” stated Bell Helicopter’s President and CEO Mitch Snyder during the Las Vegas show. “The future of urban air taxi is closer than many people realize. We believe in the positive impact our design will have on addressing transportation concerns in cities worldwide.”

One look inside Bell’s air taxi reveals an expertly crafted interior, fostered by years of customer insight and attention to detail. Passengers will sync into a fully integrated user experience control center, where they can catch up on world news, hold a video conference call, share documents with other passengers or simply unplug from the noisy world below in a comfortable, relaxing space.

During CES, attendees will experience an augmented reality simulator inside the cabin with a selection of consumer scenarios, from a red-carpet premiere landing to several cross-city day and night trips. Bell’s air taxi design took inspiration from the people that will benefit from it; bringing families, friends, and businesses closer together by gradually reducing the average in-car trip length.

“The air taxi is not a new concept – Bell Helicopter has been moving people over urban landscapes for decades,” continued Snyder. “While we are laser-focused on the passenger experience and eager to share with the public, Bell continues to develop our air taxi design to provide safe, reliable transportation services to the world.”