Bell 47

Bell 47
Type:	Light multipurpose helicopter
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Bell Aircraft Corporation
First flight:	December 8, 1945
Commissioning:	1946
Production time:	1946 to 1974
Number of pieces:	5600

Bell 47G-2 of the United States Army in the Bückeburg Helicopter Museum

Bell 47 cockpit

The Bell 47 (military designation Bell H-13 and in the United States Navy until 1962 Bell HTL and Bell HUL ) is a light two- or three-seat helicopter developed by the Bell Aircraft Corporation . On March 8, 1946, it was the first civil helicopter to be certified to fly in the United States . Its variants were to be found around the world until the 1980s and beyond.

history

The development of the Bell 47 goes back to the Model 30 designed by Arthur M. Young , whose maiden flight took place in June 1943. Model 30 was the first helicopter designed and built by Bell. This model already had the characteristics of the following types: The two-bladed rotor with cyclical blade adjustment and the stabilizer bar arranged at right angles to the rotor blades, as well as the only partially clad tubular space construction.

After the first flight of the prototype on December 8, 1945, production of the first series version began in 1946. The Bell 47 A was a military version that went to the United States Air Force as the YR-13 and the United States Navy as the HTL-1 Was used. Almost at the same time, the 47 B , a civil version of the helicopter, was being produced. Furthermore, experiments were carried out with a five-seat variant, the Bell Model 42 , which did not go into series production.

The first embodiment with the known Plexiglas -Cockpit (jokeful as "fishbowl," hereinafter) which was Bell 47 D . The D was Bell's first mass-produced helicopter for military use. In the United States Army this version got the military designation H-13B or in one case YH-13C , in the Navy it was called HTL-2 . The Army’s YH-13C was a pre-production model of an ambulance version; later some H-13B were to be converted into the final H-13C ambulance helicopter. On September 17, 1952, a Bell 47 D-1 ( N 167B) set the world record, which is still valid today, for the longest flown distance (1958.80 km without stopping) in a helicopter with internal combustion engine drive , recognized by the International Air Sports Association . Other versions followed. The fuselage of the 47J "Ranger" was completely clad for the first time; with its new engine and additional fuel tanks , the 47G , together with its sub- versions, was the most successful example of the 47 model series.

In Europe, the Bell 47 was built under license by both Agusta ( Italy ) and Westland Aircraft ( Great Britain ). This made it one of the most widely used helicopters in the world. Until the mid-1970s, a total of 45 Bell 47 G-2 "Sioux" and Agusta / Bell AB 47G-2 were still in service in the German Bundeswehr .

At Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan , the Bell 47 was built under license from 1952. In addition, Kawasaki brought a helicopter further developed from the Bell 47, the Kawasaki KH-4 on the market.

Versions

version	US military identifier	drive	comment
Bell 47 A.	YH-13 (before 1948: YR-13) (US Army) HTL-1 (US NAVY)	n. b.	-
Bell 47 B	none (civil version)	n. b.	-
0Bell 47 B-3	none (civil version)	n. b.	-
Bell 47 D	H-13B and H-13C (US Army) HTL-2 (US NAVY)	n. b.	Admitted on February 25, 1948 ; First "goldfish bowl" cabin
0Bell 47 D-1	OH-13D (before 1962: H-13D) and OH-13E (ex H-13E) (US Army) TH-13L (ex HTL-4) (US Navy)	n. b.	-
Bell 47 G	OH-13G (ex H-13G) (US Army) TH-13M (ex HTL-6) (US Navy)	Franklin 6V4-200-C32 boxer engine with 147 kW (200 PS)	-
0Bell 47 G-2	OH-13H (ex H-13H) (US Army) UH-13H (USAF)	Lycoming TVO 435 with 191 kW (260 PS)	Was u. a. in the German Bundeswehr used
0Bell 47 G-2A	n. b.	n. b.	-
0Bell 47 G-2A-1	n. b.	n. b.	-
0Bell 47 G-3	n. b.	n. b.	-
0Bell 47 G-3B	OH-13S (US Army)	Lycoming TVO-435 with 198.5 kW (270 PS)	-
0Bell 47 G-3B-1	TH-13T (US Army)	Lycoming TVO-435-25 with 198.5 kW (270 PS)	Helicopter for instrument flight training equipped with ADF , VOR , ILS and MK (radio beacon) devices
0Bell 47 G-3B-2	n. b.	Lycoming TVO 435 G1A turbocharged engine with 206 kW (280 PS)	Variant of flight at high altitudes
0Bell 47 G-3B-2A	n. b.	n. b.	Variant of flight at high altitudes and hot climates
0Bell 47 G-4	n. b.	Lycoming VO 540 B1B3 with 224 kW (305 PS)	-
0Bell 47 G-5	none (civil version)	Lycoming VO 435 B1A with 195 kW (265 PS)	-
0Bell 47 G-5A	none (civil version)	n. b.	Spray helicopter cabin for agriculture extended by 30 cm
Bell 47 H.	n. b.	Franklin 6 V4-200-C32 or V-335-4	Closed cabin and clad hull
0Bell 47 H-1	none (civil version)	n. b.	fully faired fuselage
Bell 47 J.	UH-13J (ex H-13J) (Army), TH-13N (ex HTL-7), UH-13P (ex HUL-1) and UH-13R (ex HUL-1M) (US Navy), HH-13Q (ex HUL-1G) (US Coast Guard)	Lycoming VO-435-A1B with 220 hp (223PS)	fully faired hull, extended cabin
0Bell 47 J-2	n. b.	Lycoming VO-540-B1B with 260 hp	-
0Agusta / Bell 47 J-3	none (European model)	n. b.	Submarine fighter version of the Italian Navy; due to design disadvantages, however, only suitable to a limited extent
XH-13F	XH-13F	Continental Turbomeca XT51-T-3 Artouste I	US Army experimental version for components of the Bell 204 ; First Bell turbine-powered helicopter

• 

  H-13G

• 

  XH-13F

• 

  UH-13Y

production

Approval of the H-13 by the USAF and the US Army:

version	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	TOTAL
H-13 USAF	3	25th															28
H-13B Army			59	6th													65
H-13D Army					9	77											86
H-13E Army						20th	319	151									490
H-13G USAF								5	46								51
H-13G Army								151	63								198
H-13H Army										2	28	53	133	120	60		441
H-13H MDAP															15th	12	27
H-13J USAF												2					2
HTL-2 Navy			12														12
HTL-3 Navy					8th	1											9
HTL-4 Navy					14th	31	1										46
HTL-5 Navy						4th	32										36
HTL-5 Coast Guard							3										3
HTL-6 Navy										20th	28						48
HUL-1 Navy										1	22nd						23
TOTAL	3	25th	71	6th	31	133	355	307	109	23	78	55	133	120	75	12	1,565

Military users

Argentina air force  Australia Air Force : 65  Brazil air force  Chile air force  Denmark air force  Germany German army German airforce  Dominican Republic air force  Ecuador air force  France air force  Gabon air force  Greece air force  Guatemala air force  Iceland Coast guard  Indonesia air force  India air force  Israel air force  Italy air force  Jamaica air force

Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Marine Self-Defense Forces  Yugoslavia air force  Canada air force  Colombia air force  Cuba air force  Lesotho Lesotho Defense Force  Libya air force  Madagascar air force  Malaysia air force  Malta air force  Mexico air force  New Zealand air force  Austria Air Force : 17 H-13H, 9 AB47G, 1 Bell 47G  Pakistan air force  Paraguay air force  Peru air force  Philippines air force  Taiwan air force  South Vietnam air force  Zambia air force

Sweden air force  Senegal  Spain air force  Sri Lanka air force  South Korea air force  South Yemen  Thailand air force  Turkey air force  United Kingdom British Army Royal Air Force Royal Marines  United States United States Army United States Air Force United States Navy United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard  Uruguay air force  Venezuela air force  Zaire air force

Technical specifications

Three-sided view

Parameter	Bell 47G-3B
crew	1-3
Rotor circle diameter	11.35 m
Hull length	9.62 m
Length over all	13.17 m
height	2.83 m
Preparation mass	814 kg
Takeoff mass	1340 kg
Top speed	169 km / h
Service ceiling	5245 m 5500 m (OH-13S) 6100 m (TH-13T)
Hovering altitude outside of the ground effect	3230 m 5500 m (OH-13S) 5670 m (TH-13T)
Range	500 km
Engine	a Lycoming TVO-435 with 270 PS (199 kW)

Trivia

• While its "competitor" Hiller UH-12 was used almost exclusively by the US armed forces , the Bell Model 47 was also built and successfully sold in various civil versions. Nevertheless, a large part of the production was also used in the military. A well-known theater of war was z. B. the Korean War .
• The singer and composer Chris de Burgh owns such a helicopter.
• In the US television series M * A * S * H , the military version of the Bell 47 (H-13) is used to transport the wounded.

See also

• List of helicopter types

Web links

Commons : Bell 47  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Detail illustration of the rotor head of the Bell 47

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Information on the FAI website ( Memento of the original dated June 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on August 6, 2013)  
2. ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946, p. 94 ff; 1947, p. 115; 1948II, p. 16; 1949, p. 164; 1951, p. 158; 1952, p. 158; 1953, p. 185; 1954, p. 70; 1955, p. 80; 1956, p. 91; 1957, p. 97; 1958, p. 72; 1959, p. 68; 1960, p. 62; 1961, p. 70
3. ↑ Doppeladler.com
4. ↑ FLIGHT International 23 November 1972, p. 754.
5. ^ ^{A b} John WR Taylor (Ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft - 1965-66. Sampson Low, Marston & Company Ltd., London 1965, p. 187.