Bell 206

Bell 206
Bell 206L3 at Niederrhein Airport
Type:	Light multipurpose helicopter
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Bell helicopter
First flight:	December 8, 1962
Commissioning:	1967
Number of pieces:	6300

The Bell 206 is a family of helicopters produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter . The Bell 206 and its further developments are still the most commercially successful civil helicopter to this day. The Bell 206L LongRanger is a further development of the Bell 206B JetRanger .

history

The first prototypes were made in 1963, the military variant Bell OH-58 became a standard helicopter for the US Army. The Bell 206 has been on the civilian market since 1967. The Bell 206L completed its maiden flight on September 11, 1974. In contrast to the “JetRanger”, the cabin was extended by 64 cm (recognizable by the three instead of two side windows) and a damping system built-in against vibration in flight. The Bell 206L-1 / L-3 Gemini ST also has a second turbine, like the Bell 206LT Twin Ranger.

A military version of the Bell 206 TexasRanger has also been available since 1980, but unlike the Bell 206B JetRanger , no customer has yet been found.

variants

Bell 206B JetRanger

Bell 206L LongRanger

Civil

• Bell 206 - Five YOH-4A prototypes for flight tests in the US Army's LOH program (1963).
• Bell 206A - production version powered by Allison 250 C18 shaft turbines; FAA approved 1966, 1968 initial sample of the OH-58A Kiowa.
  • Agusta-Bell 206A - version built under license from Italy
• Bell 206A-1 - OH-58A helicopter, disarmed for civilian FAA approval.
• Agusta-Bell 206A-1 - version built under license from Italy
• Bell 206B - Version with improved Allison 250 C20 drive. The last Bell 206B (serial number 4690) was delivered to a Canadian customer in December 2010.
  • Agusta-Bell 206B - version built under license from Italy
• Bell 206B-2 - Bell 206B models with the improvements of the Bell 206B-3.
• Bell 206B-3 - improved Allison 250 C20J drive and 5 cm larger tail rotor.
• Bell 206L LongRanger - extended version with seven seats, powered by an Allison 250 C20B shaft turbine.
  • Agusta-Bell 206L LongRanger - version built under license from Italy
• Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II - Version with more powerful Allison 250 C28 shaft turbines.
  • Agusta-Bell 206B-1 - version built under license from Italy.
• Bell 206L-1 + LongRanger - Modifications by Bell, including Allison-250-C30P turbines, to bring the helicopter to the Bell 206L-4 standard.
• Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III - Version with Allison 250-C30P shaft turbines.
  • Agusta-Bell 206B-3 - version built under license from Italy.
• Bell 206L-3 + LongRanger - Modifications made by Bell to bring the helicopter to the Bell 206L-4 standard.
• Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV - improved version with Allison 250-C30P turbines and further improvements to the drive.
• Bell 206LT TwinRanger - approx. 13 units from 1994–1997 with two turbines, replaced by the Bell 427 .
• Bell 407 - based on the Bell 206L with a four-blade rotor system
• Bell 417 - Bell 407 with stronger drive, project discontinued.

Military

• Bell 206AS - export version for the Chilean Navy .
• OH-58 Kiowa - light surveillance helicopter to replace the OH-6A Cayuse .
• TH-57A - 40 civilian Bell 206A helicopters used as a training helicopter for the US Navy in January 1968, referred to as the "Sea Ranger".
• 206L "TexasRanger" - project of a military version for export, only one prototype built (1981).
• TH-57B - 45 civilian Bell 206B-3 helicopters used in 1989 to replace the TH-57A for training purposes.
• TH-57C - 71 civilian Bell 206B-3 helicopters, 1989 as an advanced trainer with cockpits for instrument flight conditions.
• TH-57D - planned upgrade program for TH-57B and TH-57C.
• TH-67 Creek - 137 civilian Bell 206B-3s sold to the US Army in 1993 as a training helicopter. 35 in VFR configuration and 102 in IFR configuration.

Military users

Bell 206L TexasRanger

US Navy TH-57C

•  Albania ( Forca Ajrore Shqiptare )
•  Argentina
•  Bangladesh
•  Brazil
•  Brunei
•  Bulgaria ( Bulgarian Air Force )
•  Chile
•  Germany
•  Finland
•  Guyana
•  Iran ( Air Force )
•  Israel
•  Italy
•  Jamaica ( Air Wing )
•  Cameroon ( L 'Armée de l'Air du Cameroun )
•  Canada
•  Colombia
•  Croatia
•  Libya
•  Malta
•  Mexico
•  Austria : 13 AB 206A
•  Pakistan
•  Philippines
•  Puerto Rico
•  Serbia
•  Slovenia
•  Sweden
•  Taiwan
•  United States

United States Army

United States Navy

•  Venezuela

Technical data of the Bell 206L

Parameter	Data
Main rotor diameter	11.28 m
length	10.13 m
Engine	a Rolls-Royce type Allison 250C-20R 336 kW shaft turbine
Empty weight	1175 kg
Max. Takeoff weight	2018 kg
Top speed	241 km / h
Cruising speed	217 km / h
Range	900 km with reserve
Manufacturer	Bell Helicopter (USA)

See also

• List of helicopter types

Web links

Commons : Bell 206  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Type certificate of model 206 - EASA-TCDS-R.512 (PDF; 310 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ bellhelicopter.com: Bell Helicopter Delivers Its 4,000th Commercial Product from Canadian Facility ( Memento of March 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), press release of January 30, 2012
2. ↑ TYPE CERTIFICATE DATA SHEET NO. H2SW, revision 42 . Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov). June 27, 2006. Archived from the original on October 26, 2006. Retrieved on December 16, 2010.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Ron and Shannon Bower: Bell 206: Still Ringing True . Aviation Today (www.aviationtoday.com). May 1, 2003. Archived from the original on October 26, 2006. Retrieved on December 16, 2010.
4. ↑ Naval Aviation News (PDF; 476 kB) Naval History & Heritage Command. March 1981. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
5. ↑ US Navy Plans Digital TH-57 Fleet . Vertiflite (AHS International). January 2007. Archived from the original on April 22, 2007. Retrieved on December 16, 2010.
6. ↑ Bell 206A Jet Ranger / OH-58 Kiowa . aviastar.org. August 13, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
7. ↑ Doppeladler.com