Industry Spotlight Aviation
Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth
World Center of Aviation
Helicopter industry leaders take advantage of North Texas’ thriving aviation industry
T
he aerospace and defense industry
has been a cornerstone for the North
Texas economy for decades. Within
this thriving industry, North Texas is home
to two of the largest helicopter manufacturers in the world – American Eurocopter and
Bell Helicopter.
Headquartered less than 10 miles from
each other, American Eurocopter and Bell
Helicopter have managed to utilize the North
Texas region as a home to compete globally.
“Being located here in North Texas, in
the midst of this vibrant regional economic
powerhouse and aviation and aerospace
industry hub has had many benefits for our
company,” said Marc Paganini, president and
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NTX Magazine
CEO of American Eurocopter. “The proximity
to DFW Airport and global airline and cargo
service makes it much easier to ship needed
parts to customers quickly and directly from
our distribution center located at DFW Airport,” Paganini said.
Historically, the aircraft manufacturing
industry in North Texas is rooted deeply in
the weapons production buildup required
for the U.S. and its allies during World War
II. The Defense Department oversaw the location of two major aircraft plants in the area,
the Consolidated-Convair “bomber” plant in
Fort Worth, now operated by Lockheed Martin, and the North American Aviation plant
at Dallas Naval Air Station, which was later
used by Chance Vought Aircraft Co. and its
successors, now a part of the Triumph Group.
The Korean War and the Cold War continued that trend, sprouting military air bases
all over the North Texas landscape, bringing
in lots of people with aviation knowledge
and skills, whom would later be put to use in
private industry.
The North Texas region currently offers
several top-notch education and training
programs, such as Tarrant County College’s
Aviation Maintenance Technology program,
which is approved by the Federal Aviation
Administration.
In 2012, Composite Technology, a
Sikorsky company based at DFW Airport,
www.ntc-dfw.org