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Bell 47

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the civil versions and operators of the Bell Model 47. For the military versions and operators, seeBell H-13 Sioux.

Bell 47
Bell 47G
Role Multipurpose light helicopter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Bell Aircraft
Bell Helicopter
Designer Arthur M. Young
First flight December 8, 1945
Introduction 1946
Primary users United States Army
British Army
Produced 1946–1974
Number built 5,600
Developed from Bell 30
Variants Bell H-13 Sioux
Bell 47J Ranger
Kawasaki KH-4

TheBell 47is a single-rotor single-engine lighthelicoptermanufactured byBell Helicopter.It was based on the thirdBell 30prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed byArthur M. Young.The 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946.[1][2]The first civilian delivery was made on 31 December 1946 toHelicopter Air Transport.[3]More than 5,600 Bell 47s were produced, including those underlicensebyAgustain Italy,Kawasaki Heavy Industriesin Japan, andWestland Aircraftin the United Kingdom. TheBell 47J Rangeris a modified version with a fully enclosed cabin and tail boom.

Design and development

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Early models varied in appearance, with opencockpitsorsheet metalcabins, 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, the47Gintroduced in 1953, can be recognized by the full"soap bubble" canopy,[4]exposed welded-tube tail boom, saddlefuel tanksand skid landing gear.

The later three-seat47Hhad an enclosed cabin with full cowling andmonocoquetail boom. It was an attempt to market a "luxury" version of the basic 47G. Relatively few were produced.

EngineswereFranklinorLycomingvertically mountedpiston enginesof 175 to 305HP(130 to 227kW). Seating varied from two (early 47s and the later G-5A) to four (the J and KH-4).

In April 2011 there were 1068 registered with theFederal Aviation Administrationin the United States[5]and 15 in the United Kingdom.[6]

Bell 47s were produced in Japan by a Bell and Kawasaki venture; this led to theKawasaki KH-4variant, 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 47type certificateswere transferred toScott's Helicopter Services.[7]The sister company that was formed,Scott's - Bell 47,is in the process of starting production of aturboshaftpowered version of the Bell 47, the 47GT-6, using aRolls-Royce RR300engine and with composite rotor blades, with deliveries planned from 2016.[8]

Operational history

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Bell 47J Ranger
Bell 47 in Germany, 2011

The Bell 47 entered US military service in late 1946, and operated in a variety of versions and under different designations for three decades. It was designatedH-13 Siouxby theUS Army,and during theKorean War,it served a variety of roles, including reconnaissance and scouting, search and rescue, and medevac.

The "Telecopter" was a Bell 47 rented bytelevision stationKTLAinLos Angeles,California.It was outfitted with a television camera and it made the world's first flight by atelevision newshelicopter on July 3, 1958, with its inventor, John D. Silva, aboard. When the television station reported it was receiving no video, Silva exited the helicopter'scockpitto climb onto its landing skid while it hovered at 1,500 feet (457 m) so he could investigate themicrowavetransmitter bolted to its side, where he discovered avacuum tubehad 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.[9]

TheNational Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) had a number of Bell 47s during theApollo program,used by astronauts as trainers for thelunar lander.Apollo 17commanderEugene Cernanhad a nearly disastrous crash into theIndian Riverin Florida in 1971, before his flight to the Moon.[10]The 47 has also served as the helicopter of choice for basic helicopter flight instruction in many countries.

Records

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  • 13 May 1949, a Bell 47 set an altitude record of 18,550 feet (5,650 m).[11]
  • 21 September 1950, first helicopter to fly over theAlps.[11]
  • 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 fromHurst, Texas,toBuffalo, New York.[11]As of 2018, this record still stands.[12]

Variants

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Section source:Complete Encyclopedia[13]

Civilian

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47
Pre-production version, powered by a 178 hp (133 kW) Franklin piston engine. Ten pre-production examples built, which varied in appearance.
47A
Improved version of the Bell 47, powered by a 175 hp (130 kW)Franklin O-335-1piston engine.
A 47B on display at theSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center,2011
47B
Equivalent to the military YR-13/HTL-1, powered by the 175 hp (130 kW) Franklin O-335-1.
47B-3
Agricultural/utility version with open crew positions. Also, offered in a version to the US Postal Service as theBell Airmailer.[14]
47C
47D
First to appear with a molded "soap bubble" canopy.
47D-1
Introduced in 1949, it had an open tubework tail boom reminiscent of the Bell Model 30 and three seats.
47E
Powered by a 200 hp (150 kW) Franklin 6V4-200-C32 engine.
47F
Bell 47G
47G
Combines a 200 hp (149 kW) Franklin engine with the three-seat configuration of the 47D-1 and introduced the twin saddle-bag fuel tank configuration.
47G-2
Powered by theLycoming VO-435engine. Produced under license byWestland Aircraftas theSiouxfor the UK military.
47G-2A
Powered by a 240 hp (179 kW) VO-435.
47G-2A-1
Wider cabin, improved rotor blades and increased fuel capacity.
47G-3
Powered by a supercharged 225 hp (168 kW) Franklin 6VS-335-A.
47G-3B
Powered by a turbocharged 280 hp (209 kW) Lycoming TVO-435.
47G-4
Three-seat helicopter powered by anAvco Lycoming VO-540engine.
47G-5
A three-seat utility version. A two-seat agricultural version was later known as theAg-5.The 47G-5 remained in production even after H & J production had ended.[citation needed]
A Bell 47H-1
Bell 47H-1
A three-seat version with an enclosed cabin and fuselage.[15]
47J Ranger
A four-seat version powered by a VO-435 engine.[15]
47K
Military two-seat training variant of the 47J.

Military

[edit]
SeeH-13 Sioux
1957 47H-1

Licensed versions

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Agusta A.1151971 Italian prototype of a Bell 47J with an unclad, tubular tail boom, and powered by aTurbomecaAstazou II turboshaft engine Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124Italian prototype with redesigned forward fuselage. Not produced.[16][17]

Kawasaki KH-4Japanese production version with redesigned, lengthened cabin, and redesigned control system

Conversions

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

Operators

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Military operators

[edit]
For all military operators, regardless of the actual model, seeBell H-13 Sioux operators
Bell 47 in RAF livery, 2022
An Agusta-Bell 47G of the ItalianCarabinieri
A retired Bell 47 of the Peruvian Navy, now on display

Government operators

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Canada
  • Ontario Lands and Forests[18]
Italy
United States

Aircraft on display

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Canada
Chile
France
Germany
Japan
Malta
New Zealand
Norway
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
  • G-AZYB (painted in former SABENA markings as OO-SHW) – Bell 47H on static display at the Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. It supported a scientific expedition in Antarctica.[47][48]
United States

Surviving aircraft

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Bell 47 owned by theExperimental Aircraft Association
Austria
  • OE-XDM – Bell 47 G-3B-1T (a former United States Army TH-13T) airworthy with The Flying Bulls inSalzburg.[70][71][72]
Australia
  • A1-402 - Bell 47 G former Australian Army 161 Independent Recce Flight on static display at HARS Parkes Aviation Museum
United States

Specifications (Bell 47G-3B)

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3-view line drawing of the Bell 47
3-view line drawing of the Bell 47

Data fromInternational Directory of Civil Aircraft[15]

General characteristics

  • Crew:1 or 2
  • Capacity:1 passenger or 2 litters (1,057 lb (479 kg) payload)
  • Length:31 ft 7 in (9.63 m)
  • Height:9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
  • Empty weight:1,893 lb (859 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight:2,950 lb (1,338 kg)
  • Powerplant:1 ×Lycoming TVO-435-F1Asix-cylinder vertically mounted horizontally-opposed air-cooled piston engine, 280 hp (210 kW)
  • Main rotor diameter:37 ft 2 in (11.33 m)
  • Main rotor area:1,085 sq ft (100.8 m2)

Performance

  • Maximum speed:91 kn (105 mph, 169 km/h)
  • Cruise speed:73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h)
  • Range:214 nmi (246 mi, 396 km)
  • Rate of climb:860 ft/min (4.4 m/s)

Notable appearances in media

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Main article:Aircraft in fiction § Bell 47

See also

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Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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Notes

[edit]
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  4. ^Arthur M. Young.Arthur Young on the Helicopter (Part 2)(YouTube)(YouTube). Arthur M. Young. Event occurs at 10:15 to 11:45.Archivedfrom the original on December 13, 2021.RetrievedApril 8,2016.I thought the bubble was a great idea, and we tried it. It consisted of taking a large sheet of Plexiglas, and a plywood form, cut for the final dimension for the outside of the bubble, then heating the Plexiglas, putting it under the plywood form, letting air pressure come up through the middle, and it would blow just like asoap bubble.And, then we had a gauge saying how far to blow, and when it reached that point, we turned off the air pressure.
  5. ^"FAA".Archived fromthe originalon May 13, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 22,2010.
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  11. ^abcMcGowen, p. 56.
  12. ^"FAI Record ID #976Archived2015-06-11 at theWayback Machine"Record date 17 September 1952,Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.Accessed: 18 November 2013.
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Bibliography

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  • Donald, David (1997).The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.NY, NY: Barnes & Noble.ISBN0-7607-0592-5.
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  • United States, Headquarters Department of the Army, Army Concept Team in Vietnam.Final Report of Essential Load of Scout Helicopters.Saigon, Vietnam: Army Concept Team in Vietnam, 1966.
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