Bell Helicopter gave expectations a boost on the opening day of Heli-Expo 2011 by bagging 13 orders from five customers, followed by an additional 10 orders on day two of the show. “These orders signify the continuing involvement of the helicopter industry and the relevance of [Heli-Expo] as a venue to conduct commercial helicopter business,” said Larry Roberts, Bell senior v-p of commercial business.

The 13 orders came from: Urban Development Group of Panama, a 407GX; Alvac of Idaho, a 407GX; Helicopter Flight Services of New York City, a 407GX; PT SMAC of Indonesia, three 429s and six 412s; and Global Vectra of India, aBell 412. The 10 more recent orders include a 429 for Helisul of Brazil, but the identities of the remaining nine weren’t revealed by Bell.