Bell Prepares to Freeze 429 Design, Eyes Derivatives

Bell Helicopter was scheduled yesterday to wrap up its last official meeting of the customer advisory council for its new 429 light twin. The two-day meeting was intended to get final customer input and signoff of the helicopter's design before the company tells regulators the design is frozen and final certification work can begin. But Bell also solicited customer input on the most desired derivatives of the new aircraft; the manufacturer is planning to develop a family of helicopters based on the 429. For related news