Bell 47 helicopters start up take off landings flying police
The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946. More than 5,600 Bell 47 aircraft were produced, including those produced under license by Agusta in Italy, Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan, and Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom. The Bell 47J Ranger is a modified version with a fully enclosed cabin and fuselage.
Early models varied in appearance, with open cockpits or sheet metal cabins, fabric covered or open structures, some with four-wheel landing gear. Later model D and Korean War H-13D and E types settled on a more utilitarian style. The most common model, the 47G introduced in 1953, can be recognized by the full "soap bubble" canopy, exposed welded-tube tail boom, saddle fuel tanks and skid landing gear.
The later three-seat 47H had an enclosed cabin with full cowling and monocoque tail boom. It was an attempt to market a "luxury" version of the basic 47G. Relatively few were produced.
Engines were Franklin or Lycoming vertically mounted piston engines of 200 to 305 HP (150 to 230 kW). Seating varied from two (early 47s and the later G-5A) to four (the J and KH-4).
As of 2005, many are still in use as trainers and in agriculture.
Bell 47s were produced in Japan by a Bell and Kawasaki venture; this led to the Kawasaki KH-4 variant, a four-seat version of the Model 47 with a cabin similar to the Bell 47J. It differed from the "J" in having a standard uncovered tail boom and fuel tanks like the G series. It was sold throughout Asia, and some were used in Australia.
In February 2010, the Bell 47 type certificates were transferred to Scott's Helicopter Services. The sister company that was formed, Scott's - Bell 47, is in the process of starting production of a turboshaft powered version of the Bell 47, the 47GT-6, using a Rolls-Royce RR300 engine and with composite rotor blades, with deliveries planned from 2016.
Operational history
The Bell 47 helicopter entered U.S. military service in late 1946, in a variety of versions and designations for three decades. In the Korean War, it was designated the H-13 Sioux by the U.S. Army, where it served a variety of roles including reconnaissance and scouting, search and rescue, and medevac. It has also served as the helicopter of choice for basic helicopter flight instruction in many countries.
The "Telecopter," a Bell Model 47 rented by television stationKTLA in Los Angeles, California, outfitted with a television camera, made the world's first flight by a television news helicopter on July 3, 1958, with its inventor, John D. Silva, aboard. When the television station reported that it was receiving no video, Silva exited the helicopter's cockpit to climb onto its landing skid while it hovered at 1,500 feet (457 m) so that he could investigate the microwave transmitter bolted to its side, where he discovered that a vacuum tube had failed due to vibration and hot weather. After Silva fixed the problem overnight, the Telecopter made the world's first successful television news flight on July 4, 1958.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department used the Bell 47 when it started its law enforcement helicopter division in 1971.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had a number of Bell 47s during the Apollo program, used by astronauts as trainers for the lunar lander. Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan had a nearly disastrous crash into the Indian River in Florida in 1972, shortly before his flight to the moon.
Records
13 May 1949, a Bell 47 set an altitude record of 18,550 feet (5,650 m).
21 September 1950, first helicopter to fly over the Alps.
17 September 1952, Bell pilot Elton J. Smith set a world distance record for piston helicopters of 1,217 miles (1,959 km) by flying nonstop from Hurst, Texas, to Buffalo, New York. As of 2013, this record still stands.
Variants
Section source: Complete Encyclopedia
Civilian
Bell 47
Pre-production version, powered by a 133-kW (178-hp) Franklin piston engine.
Bell 47A
Improved version of the Bell 47, powered by a 117-kW (157-hp) Franklin O-335-1 piston engine.
Bell 47B
Equivalent to the military YR-13/HTL-1, powered by the Franklin O-335-1 piston engine.
Bell 47B-3
Agricultural/utility version with open crew positions. Also, offered in a version to the US Postal Service as the Bell "Airmailer" .
Bell 47C
Bell 47D
First to appear with a moulded 'soap bubble' canopy, as described by Arthur M. Young himself in video recollections.
Bell 47D-1
Introduced in 1949, it had an open tubework tailboom reminiscent of the Bell Model 30, ship number 3, and a three-seat configuration.
Bell 47E
Powered by a 149-kW (200-hp) Franklin 6V4-200-C32 engine.
Bell 47F
Bell 47G
Combines a 149 kW Franklin engine with the three-seat configuration of the 47D-1 and introduced the twin saddle-bag fuel tank configuration.
AS7201 – Bell 47G-2 on static display at the Malta Aviation Museum in Ta'Qali. It was the first aircraft of the Armed Forces of Malta and was donated to the museum on 31 May 2008.
Unknown ID – Bell 47B on static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Unknown ID – On static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is a Bell 47D-1 that has converted to an H-13 and painted in "M*A*S*H"configuration.
1355 – Bell 47H on static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Unknown ID – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York.
Survivors
Australia
Bell47experience.com.au in Melbourne uses a Bell 47G5A for tourist flights.
Austria
Red Bull — The Flying Bulls — Hangar-7 in Salzburg flies a Bell 47 G-3B-1 (Soloy turboshaft conversion).
India
Pushpaka Aviation in Mumbai operates a G-2, a G-3 B2 and a G5 for crop dusting and aerial seeding.
New Zealand
Adventure Aviation in Tauranga uses a Bell 47G in a "M*A*S*H" paint scheme for tourist flights.
United States
EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has multiple Bell 47 helicopters available to ride.
Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida has a Bell 47G with a "M*A*S*H" paint scheme.
Specifications (Bell 47G-3B)
Data from International Directory of Civil Aircraft
