Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

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Thierry Dubois

Bell Helicopter’s new CEO, John Garrison, is expecting 2010 to be a flat year in terms of civil deliveries, but he said he sees significant growth on the military side, thanks to a production ramp-up for the V-22 tiltrotor and the H-1. Military revenues should jump by 15 percent, he added. Bell is here on Stand Q01 and on the static display with the new Bell 429 light twin, which is touring Asia.
According to Garrison, for his company, 2009 was as challenging in Asia as it was in the rest of the world. “Overall, we saw a tremendous number of cancellations in the first three quarters, but net orders were in the black again in the fourth quarter,” he told AIN.
Civil woes were offset by healthy military and aftermarket activities, he said. The company reduced costs in the civil production lines, Garrison said, which involved job cuts. The bottom line was that 2009 was Bell’s record year in terms of operating earnings and cash flow.
The Bell 429, the company’s newest product is visiting Asian operators on an tour that started in mid-January here in Singapore. After the show, the tour will continue to India and Japan. Garrison told AIN the 429 has “good sales prospects in the region.”
Production plans call for 25 units to be manufactured this year, ramping up to 50 next year. These numbers are down from 40 and 80, respectively, as announced last summer.
Garrison said the company now has a one-year-and-a-half backlog for the 429. As of last summer, Bell held about 300 letters of intent, but converting them into firm contracts has proved painful. It has received second deposits for only 50 aircraft and is working on another 50 conversions. The rest have come to a dead end.
The company also is evaluating locations in the region where it could establish a major facility that would be a maintenance, completion and distribution center. Bell’s Asian headquarters and distribution hub currently are here in Singapore. It has about 15 customer service centers in the region.
In the military field, Bell is bidding for the Indian Navy’s replacement of light helicopters, for which it is pitching the 429. “This is the early phase of a process for about 60 aircraft,” Garrison said. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

Bell bullish on military; suffering in civil sales

Bell Helicopter’s new CEO, John Garrison, is expecting 2010 to be a flat year in terms of civil deliveries, but he said he sees significant growth on the m

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