An Approved Training Organization (ATO) certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been awarded to Bell Helicopters. With the approval, the Bell Helicopter Training Academy (BTA) is authorized to provide Part-FCL training courses for European customers, including the use of Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTD) for the Bell 407 and Bell 429 aircraft models.
“The EASA ATO certification is a significant milestone for Bell Helicopter,” said Ray Lamas, general manager, Global Customer Training for Bell Helicopter. “This certification enhances our ability to provide in-region pilot initial and recurrent training for our Bell 429 and Bell 407 customers in Europe, and is a critical next step toward the opening of our joint training facility with TRU Simulation and Training and Textron Aviation in Valencia, Spain.”
Bell Helicopter is the first organization outside EASA member states to be approved as an ATO to provide Part-FCL type training courses, including the use of FSTDs for the Bell 429 and Bell 407 aircraft. The two organizations recognized the event with a formal signing ceremony at EASA headquarters in Cologne, Germany.
