Scott’s – Bell 47, Inc. (SB47), OEM for the Model 47 helicopter, today announced a reduction of their Main Rotor Blade spares pricing to $45,000 per blade, -13 & -21, and $45,500 for the -23. This reduction is driven by the customer survey responses received over the past 6 months and is afforded by their re-sourcing efforts to establish a new blade manufacturer.

“The response to our customer market survey has been outstanding, with over 200 owner/operators providing input.” stated Neil Marshall, SB47 General Manager. He went on to explain “We asked our customers for their feedback in regards to maintenance costs, parts pricing & product improvements, and the resounding response was that blade pricing was too high. After an extensive sourcing program we are close to announcing the new blade manufacturer, and this now allows us to publish the new price for blades which reflects a 30% saving on the most recent list price.”

The market survey has reinforced SB47 President & Owner Scott Churchill’s belief that the Model 47 still has a place in the rotorcraft market. He stated that “Over 80% of customers indicated they would be interested in an upgrade to their aircraft, and almost 70% said they would be interested to purchase a brand new Model 47 in the next 1-5 years, rather than purchase a competitor aircraft. Ensuring we have the right spare parts on the shelf remains our #1 priority but we are reviewing what improvements would be required to make the Model 47 competitive again. Discussions with the FAA & the supply base are very encouraging. If we can satisfy the customer demands for reduced maintenance costs and refresh the aircraft but keep the price competitive, then it’s clear the customer demand is there.”

Scott’s – Bell 47, Inc.’s blade pricing is effective immediately. Neil Marshall clarified “we have stock of the -13, -21 & -23 blades, but it is limited and our new source will deliver brand new blades starting in Q2 2011. So we encourage our customers to purchase blades earlier rather than later to ensure availability.”

About Scott’s – Bell 47, Inc.
Scott’s – Bell 47, Inc., under the private ownership of Scott Churchill, is a sister company to Scott’s Helicopter Services Inc., one of the largest operators of Model 47 helicopters in the world, and Texas Helicopters Inc., manufacturer of the Wasp helicopter and a FAA PMA parts supplier & STC holder for the Model 47.