The new hangar facility in Louisiana will start assembly operations of the commercial helicopter in 2016 following the certification. Paul Watts has accepted the position of general manager

Bell Textron Helicopter has officially begun building the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X facility in Lafayette, Louisiana. The new hangar facility (of 82,300-square-foot) will be built on a 14.5-acre site. Bell Helicopter will lease the facility from the Lafayette Regional Airport. The project is funded by the State of Louisiana and the texan company plans to invest $11.4 million in equipment and tooling.

Bell Helicopter expects to begin hiring employees for the new facility by 2015, and assembly operations are expected to start by 2016 following certification of the facility and the aircraft. The facility is expected to create 115 new jobs in Lafayette, and LED estimates the aerospace project will result in an additional 136 jobs, for a total of more than 250 new jobs in Acadiana.

Paul Watts has accepted the position of general manager of the new Lafayette aircraft assembly facility. The site, announced in late 2013, will be the home of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X program. Watts will assume this new role immediately while also maintaining his current position as Bell 505 program manager through the end of the year. As general manager, he will be responsible for day-to-day operations and strategic growth plans in Lafayette. His immediate priorities include building a high performance team as well as leading the creation of the new facility’s business systems, processes, and resource allocation.

Assembly of the first Bell 505 test aircraft is progressing at Bell Helicopter’s commercial assembly facility in Mirabel, Canada, and first flight is expected to take place by the end of 2014. Type Certificate activities with Transport Canada and Production Certification activities with the Federal Aviation Administration are also underway.