Bell 47
Bell 47 | |
---|---|
Type: | Light multipurpose helicopter |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
December 8, 1945 |
Commissioning: |
1946 |
Production time: |
1946 to 1974 |
Number of pieces: |
5600 |
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. | - |
Bell 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 |
Bell 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) |
- |
Bell 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 |
Bell 47 G-2A | n. b. | n. b. | - |
Bell 47 G-2A-1 | n. b. | n. b. | - |
Bell 47 G-3 | n. b. | n. b. | - |
Bell 47 G-3B | OH-13S (US Army) |
Lycoming TVO-435 with 198.5 kW (270 PS) |
- |
Bell 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 |
Bell 47 G-3B-2 | n. b. |
Lycoming TVO 435 G1A turbocharged engine with 206 kW (280 PS) |
Variant of flight at high altitudes |
Bell 47 G-3B-2A | n. b. | n. b. | Variant of flight at high altitudes and hot climates |
Bell 47 G-4 | n. b. |
Lycoming VO 540 B1B3 with 224 kW (305 PS) |
- |
Bell 47 G-5 | none (civil version) |
Lycoming VO 435 B1A with 195 kW (265 PS) |
- |
Bell 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 |
Bell 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 |
Bell 47 J-2 | n. b. | Lycoming VO-540-B1B with 260 hp | - |
Agusta / 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 |
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
|
|
Technical specifications
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
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Doppeladler.com
- ↑ FLIGHT International 23 November 1972, p. 754.
- ^ A b John WR Taylor (Ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft - 1965-66. Sampson Low, Marston & Company Ltd., London 1965, p. 187.