A Quiet Week in Paris for Bell?

Don’t look for Bell Helicopter Textron to make a splash at Le Bourget this year. At Farnborough last year, Bell actually seized the high ground, with a chalet-on-a-hill that overlooked the entrance to the show—and AgustaWestland’s previously dominant position across the road. That, combined with the Bell/Boeing U.S. Marine Corps’ MV-22’s flight demonstrations, made Bell the rotorcraft star of that show. Bell plans to have no aircraft or aircraft mock-ups at the Paris Air Show next week—other than the BA609, which partner AgustaWestland is pushing. Having its Model 429 at Le Bourget would have required pulling a test article from the certification cycle for that new aircraft, the company says. It added that it tried to lease aircraft from customers to display at Le Bourget, but they are all too busy flying. Bell will be grouped with other Textron units in Chalet Row A, including Cessna (which will have eight jets at the show) and E-Z-Go, the golf cart maker. For related news