Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced today it will hold a regional safety symposium for rotorcraft pilots and technicians from across Russia on Thursday, October 3 at the Marriott Moscow Grand.

The third symposium of its type offered by Bell Helicopter this year, the safety symposium educates maintainers and operators on common safety practices and applications, emphasizing key aspects of pilot and maintenance safety. The effort is tied, in part, to Bell Helicopter’s participation in the International Helicopter Safety Team’s mission to achieve an 80 percent reduction in the rate of international civil helicopter accidents by 2016.

“Pilot error is one of the most common reasons for helicopter accidents,” said Eric Cardinali, executive vice president, Customer Support and Services (CSS). “Bell Helicopter’s safety symposiums were created to help educate our customers on the conditions that can frequently lead to accidents or unsafe behaviors.”

The full day session covers a variety of topics including human factors, environmental factors, common field issues, human physiology and pilot complacency. The symposium is led by Bell Helicopter staff and will be delivered in Russian. The session includes interactive discussions, case studies and presentations to help participants gain a greater understanding of the personal and cultural changes that will help ensure safety of flight.

More than 40 participants from 20 organizations in Russia have registered for the event.

“The growing helicopter population in Russia, coupled with the region’s somewhat harsh environmental conditions, makes Russia an ideal location for us to host the third symposium for 2013,” said Steve Woolston, director, CSS Product Support. “The information and tools provided will help our customers better understand the discipline necessary to ensure they and their crews remain safe at all times.”

About Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell’s global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.