Bell 47

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.

Design and development


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 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.

In April 2011 there were 1068 registered with the FAA and 15 in the UK.

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 tailboom 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. Scott's intend to restart production of a turboshaft powered version of the helicopter, 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. 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 station KTLA 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 18550 ft.
 * 21 September 1950, first helicopter to fly over the Alps.
 * 17 September 1952, Bell pilot Elton J. Smith set a world distance record of 1217 mi by flying nonstop from Hurst, Texas, to Buffalo, New York.

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 'goldfish bowl' canopy.
 * 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.
 * Bell 47G-2: Powered by the Lycoming VO-435 engine. Produced under license by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Sioux, for the UK military.
 * Bell 47G-2A: Powered by a 179 kW version of the VO-435.
 * Bell 47G-2A-1: Wider cabin, improved rotor blades and increased fuel capacity.
 * Bell 47G-3: Powered by a supercharged 168 kW Franklin 6VS-335-A.
 * Bell 47G-3B: Powered by a turbocharged 209 kW Avco Lycoming TVO-435.
 * Bell 47G-4: Three-seat helicopter powered by an Avco Lycoming VO-540 engine.
 * Bell 47G-5: A three-seat, utility version. A two-seat agricultural version was later known as the Ag-5. The 47G-5 was the last model to be produced by Bell.
 * Bell 47H-1: A three-seat version with an enclosed cabin and fuselage.
 * Bell 47J Ranger: A four-seat version powered by an Avco Lycoming VO-435 engine.
 * Bell 47K:Military two-seat training variant of the 47J.

Military

 * See H-13 Sioux

Licenced versions



 * Agusta A.115: 1971 Italian prototype of a Bell 47J with an unclad, tubular tail boom, and powered by a Turboméca Astazou II turboshaft engine
 * Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124: Italian prototype with redesigned forward fuselage. Not produced.
 * Kawasaki KH-4: Japanese production version with redesigned, lengthened cabin, and redesigned control system

Conversions

 * Carson Super C-4
 * El Tomcat Mk.II
 * Bell 47G-2 modified extensively for agricultural spraying by Continental Copters Inc. First flew in April 1959. Followed by further improved versions.
 * Bell 47G-2 modified extensively for agricultural spraying by Continental Copters Inc. First flew in April 1959. Followed by further improved versions.

Military operators

 * For all military operators, regardless of the actual model, see Bell H-13 Sioux operators



Government operators

 * Carabinieri
 * Guardia di Finanza
 * Vigili del Fuoco
 * Los Angeles City Fire Department
 * Los Angeles Police Department
 * New York City Police Department
 * Los Angeles Police Department
 * New York City Police Department

Aircraft on display



 * Brazil
 * Museu Aeroespacial in Rio de Janeiro


 * Canada
 * Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton, Alberta is restoring a 47G Model.
 * Aero Space Museum of Calgary has a Bell 47G on display.
 * Canada Aviation and Space Museum, in Ottawa, Ontario, has a Bell 47 on display, as well as a removed cockpit section for visitors to sit in.
 * Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault ste Marie, Ontario, has a Bell 47D on display.


 * South Africa
 * South African Air Force Museum - Bell 47G Sioux Mk.2 (ex RAF XT562)


 * Peru
 * Peruvian National Police - Air Police Base in Callao, has a Bell 47G at the main gate and another one in display inside the Base.


 * United Kingdom
 * A Westland Sioux is on display at The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare.
 * North East Aircraft Museum, Tyne & Wear, has a Bell 47D under restoration as of November 2010.
 * Newark Air Museum, Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire, has a Westland Sioux on display as of May 2011


 * United States
 * Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida has a Bell 47G on display.
 * Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, includes a Bell 47 and the Bell Model 30 predecessor.
 * Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City has a Bell 47D-1 on permanent display.
 * EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has multiple Bell 47 helicopters available to ride.
 * US Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker, Alabama - 3 OH13s are displayed in the main hall.

Survivors

 * Australia
 * Bell47experience.com.au in Melbourne uses a Bell 47G5A for tourist flights.


 * Austria
 * Red Bull - FlyingBulls - Hangar-7 in Salzburg flies a Bell 47 G-3B-1 (SOLOY 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.