Bell Textron Inc have revealed that the cumulative training flight hours at the Bell Training Academy (BTA) has passed 240,000 flight hours since it’s relocation in 2015 to it’s present 100,000 sq. ft. campus adjacent to the company headquarters.
In 2025, more than 2,000 pilots passed through its portals at it main campus in Ft Worth as well as its facilities in Europe and Asia. Which takes the overall number of pilots trained at the facility as well as those in Europe and Asia to a cumulative 140,000. The academy continues to strengthen its position as a leading provider of pilot and maintenance training, supporting growing demand from commercial and parapublic operators across Europe. In addition Bell cadre of instructors also logged 2,600 hours in BTA-owned aircraft last year underlining the ongoing demand for training.
“The Bell Training Academy is industry leading helicopter training grounded in OEM-approved data, combining deep technical expertise with real world operational insight,” said Chad Sparks, general manager, BTA. “We aim to establish confidence and capability so operators can safely utilise their aircraft for diverse missions.”
This writer has experienced the academy facilities first hand, most recently just last week in the Bell 525 simulator, the Ft Worth facility is impressive, and with a combination of classroom instruction, advanced 3-D courseware, simulators, full touchdown autorotations, and hands-on training the learning experience is enhanced.
In addition the Ft Worth campus also has a training suite for engineers and A&P mechanics allowing students to train hands on with aircraft and their systems in a workshop environment. A benefit that is also useful to pilot training since it delivers a clear, real world understanding of the aircraft and it’s systems, you don’t have to imagine it when you can see it and touch it.
The company is also expanding its global training footprint with locations in Europe and Asia, BTA Valencia, Bell’s training facility in Europe, continues to expand Bell’s European infrastructure with facilities supporting pilot and maintenance training. The center provides convenient access to OEM-standard instruction for operators across Europe. The BTA Valencia team offers a variety of commercial and parapublic training, utilising advanced simulation technology with instruction from expert pilots to keep customers ready to fly.
Image: Bell
