Story and image from Textron Inc.
Georgetown, Guyana, March 10, 2025 – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company and Omni Helicopters International Group, Latin America’s leading air mobility solutions provider today announced a joint offshore operational evaluation program for the Bell 525 helicopter, to be conducted over several months at Omni’s high-tempo operation in Georgetown, Guyana, pending type certification.
Following type certification, Bell will operate the Bell 525 helicopter in collaboration with Omni to undertake a program of offshore mission flights. The helicopter will be loaded to representative mission weights and will be fully integrated into the daily flight planning processes and flight schedule. The helicopter will visit multiple offshore installations in the region and will be loaded, unloaded and refueled routinely to subject it to a sustained trial under actual field conditions.
The operational evaluation will see Bell fly the 525 integrated with the 200 flight per month Omni flying program. Loaded to representative operating weights, the aircraft will undertake the exact same sequences of flights as the live operational fleet in Guyana, exposing it to the intensity and pressures of live commercial line operations. Special focus will be placed on operational resilience, supply chain robustness and durability when exposed to frequent ground handling activity, both on and offshore. The Bell 525 continues to progress toward FAA certification.
Around 500 hours of flying is planned over a 6-month program.