The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light
helicopter manufactured by
Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third
Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by
Arthur M. Young
Arthur Middleton Young (November 3, 1905 – May 30, 1995) was an American inventor, helicopter pioneer, cosmologist, philosopher, astrologer, and author. Young was the designer of Bell Helicopter's first helicopter, the Model 30, and inventor ...
. The 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946.
["Bell Helicopters"](_blank)
Helicopter History Site.["Biography of ARTHUR MIDDLETON YOUNG"](_blank)
The first civilian delivery was made on 31 December 1946 to
Helicopter Air Transport.
More than 5,600 Bell 47s were produced, including those under
license
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
by
Agusta
Agusta was an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It was based in Samarate, Northern Italy. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907. The MV Agusta motorcycle manufacturer began as an offshoot o ...
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 tail boom.
Design and development
Early models varied in appearance, with open
cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft.
The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
s 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
"soap 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 engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...
s of 178 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).
In April 2011 there were 1068 registered with the
Federal Aviation Administration in the United States and 15 in the United Kingdom.
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 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 47
type certificates were transferred to ''Scott's Helicopter Services''.
The sister company that was formed,
Scott's - Bell 47
Scotts or Scott's may refer to:
Businesses and brands
*Scott's (restaurant), in London
*Scott's Food & Pharmacy, an American supermarket chain
*Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, an American multinational corporation
*Scott's Porage Oats, a Scottish bre ...
, is in the process of starting production of a
turboshaft powered version of the Bell 47, the 47GT-6, using a
Rolls-Royce RR300 engine and with composite rotor blades, with deliveries planned from 2016.
Operational history
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 designated
H-13 Sioux H13, H-13 or H.13 may refer to:
Roads
* H-13 (Michigan county highway), a road in the United States
* Highway H13 (Ukraine)
Vehicles
* Bell H-13 Sioux, an American helicopter
* , a H-class submarine ordered by but not commissioned into the Royal N ...
by the
US Army, and during the
Korean War, it served a variety of roles, including reconnaissance and scouting, search and rescue, and medevac.
The "Telecopter" was a
Bell Model 47 rented by
television station KTLA
KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is the seco ...
in
Los Angeles,
California. It was outfitted with a television camera and it made the worlds first flight by a
television news helicopter on July 3, 1958, with its inventor, John D. Silva, aboard. When the television station reported it was receiving no video, Silva exited the helicopters
cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft.
The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
to climb onto its landing skid while it hovered at 1,500 feet (457 m) so he could investigate the
microwave transmitter bolted to its side, where he discovered 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
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...
(NASA) had a number of Bell 47s during the
Apollo program, used by astronauts as trainers for the
lunar lander
A lunar lander or Moon lander is a spacecraft designed to land on the surface of the Moon. As of 2021, the Apollo Lunar Module is the only lunar lander to have ever been used in human spaceflight, completing six lunar landings from 1969 to 19 ...
.
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on ...
commander
Eugene Cernan had a nearly disastrous crash into the
Indian River in Florida in 1971, before his flight to the moon. The 47 has also served as the helicopter of choice for basic helicopter flight instruction in many countries.
Records
*13 May 1949, a Bell 47 set an altitude record of .
[McGowen, p. 56.]
*21 September 1950, first helicopter to fly over the
Alps.
*17 September 1952, Bell pilot Elton J. Smith set a world distance record for piston helicopters of by flying nonstop from
Hurst, Texas, to
Buffalo, New York.
As of 2018, this record still stands.
Variants
: ''Section source:'' Complete Encyclopedia
Civilian
;47: Pre-production version, powered by a Franklin piston engine.
;47A: Improved version of the Bell 47, powered by a
Franklin O-335-1 piston engine.
;47B: Equivalent to the military YR-13/HTL-1, powered by the Franklin O-335-1.
:;47B-3: Agricultural/utility version with open crew positions. Also, offered in a version to the US Postal Service as the Bell Airmailer .
;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 Franklin 6V4-200-C32 engine.
;47F
;47G: Combines a Franklin engine with the three-seat configuration of the 47D-1 and introduced the twin saddle-bag fuel tank configuration.
:;47G-2: Powered by the
Lycoming VO-435 engine. Produced under license by
Westland Aircraft as the
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
for the UK military.
:;47G-2A: Powered by a VO-435.
:;47G-2A-1: Wider cabin, improved rotor blades and increased fuel capacity.
:;47G-3: Powered by a supercharged Franklin 6VS-335-A.
:;47G-3B: Powered by a turbocharged Lycoming TVO-435.
:;47G-4: Three-seat helicopter powered by an
Avco Lycoming VO-540 engine.
:;47G-5: A three-seat utility version. A two-seat agricultural version was later known as the Ag-5. The 47G-5 remained in production even after H & J production had ended.
;Bell 47H-1: A three-seat version with an enclosed cabin and fuselage.
;
47J Ranger: A four-seat version powered by a VO-435 engine.
;
47K:Military two-seat training variant of the 47J.
Military
: See
H-13 Sioux H13, H-13 or H.13 may refer to:
Roads
* H-13 (Michigan county highway), a road in the United States
* Highway H13 (Ukraine)
Vehicles
* Bell H-13 Sioux, an American helicopter
* , a H-class submarine ordered by but not commissioned into the Royal N ...
Licensed versions
Agusta A.115
The Agusta A.115 (registration ''I-AGUC'') was a prototype helicopter flown in 1961 in Italy. It was essentially a Bell 47J-3 with an unclad, tubular tail boom, and powered by a Turbomeca Astazou
The Turbomeca Astazou is a highly successful ...
1971 Italian prototype of a Bell 47J with an unclad, tubular tail boom, and powered by a
Turbomeca Astazou II turboshaft engine
Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124 __NOTOC__
The Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124 was a light utility helicopter flown in prototype form in Italy in 1970.Taylor 1989, 648 The design was undertaken by Agusta for production in a joint venture with Elicotteri Meridionali, based on the Be ...
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.
Operators
Military operators
:For all military operators, regardless of the actual model, see ''
Bell H-13 Sioux operators''
Government operators
;
* Ontario Lands and Forests
;
*
Carabinieri
*
Guardia di Finanza
*
Vigili del Fuoco
;
*
Los Angeles City Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and technical rescue services to the city of Los Angeles ...
*
Los Angeles Police Department
*
New York City Police Department
Aircraft on display
;Canada
* CF-ODM – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre
Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (CBHC), located on the north bank of the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to preserving the history of bush flying and forest protection in Canada. It was founded in 1987 by a ...
in
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
* Unknown ID – Bell 47G on static display at the
Alberta Aviation Museum in
Edmonton, Alberta. It was assembled from parts and represents a Bell 47D.
* CF-NHH – Bell 47G on static display at
The Hangar Flight Museum in
Calgary, Alberta. It was built by college students from parts and has never flown.
* CF-GWD – Bell 47D-1 on display at the
Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Quebec.
* CF-FZX – Bell 47G-4 on display at the
British Columbia Aviation Museum.
* C-FIVE – Bell 47J-2 on display at the
Canadian Museum of Flight, Langley, British Columbia.
;Chile
* H-03 (Chilean Air Force) – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio in
Santiago.
;France
* 710 (French Air Force) – Bell 47G on static display at the
Musée de l’air et de l’espace in
Le Bourget, Île-de-France.
;Germany
* AS+058 (German Army) – Agusta-Bell 47G-2 on static display at the
Deutsches Museum in
Munich, Bavaria.
;Japan
* JA7008 – Kawasaki-Bell 47D-1 (one of first two aircraft of
All Nippon Airways) on static display at ANA Safety Education Center, nearby
Haneda Airport. It was once displayed at until its closure in 2006.
;Malta
* AS7201 – Bell 47G-2 on static display at the
Malta Aviation Museum in
Ta'Qali. It was the first aircraft of the
Armed Forces of Malta and was donated to the museum on 31 May 2008.
;New Zealand
* NZ3705 – Bell 47G-3B-1 on static display at the
Air Force Museum of New Zealand in
Wigram, Canterbury.
;Norway
* LN-ORW – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Norwegian Aviation Museum
The Norwegian Aviation Museum ( no, Norsk luftfartsmuseum) was opened by King Harald V on May 15, 1994. It is the Norwegian national museum of aviation and also the largest aviation museum in the Nordic countries, covering around . Situated in Bod ...
in
Bodø, Nordland.
;Spain
* HE.7B-31 – AB-47G-3B1 on static display at the Museo Aeronáutico de Málaga in
Málaga, Andalusia.
;Sweden
* Unknown ID – Bell 47G on static display at the
ABBA: The Museum in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
. It had previously been featured on the cover for
ABBA's 1976 album ''
Arrival
Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to:
Film
* ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film
* ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film
* ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...
''.
;Switzerland
* HB-XAE – Bell 47G-2 on static display at the
Swiss Museum of Transport in
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
.
;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.
;United States
* N5H – Bell 47B on static display at the
American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in
West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...
.
* N3H – Bell 47 on static display at the
Niagara Aerospace Museum
The Niagara Aerospace Museum is an aviation museum located in Niagara Falls, New York, in the old terminal building of the Niagara Falls International Airport. The museum has been located in a number of places in the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area ...
in
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...
.
* N116B – Bell 47B on static display at the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...
in
Chantilly, Virginia.
* N39KH – Bell 47D on static display at the
Hiller Aviation Museum in
San Carlos, California
San Carlos (Spanish for "St. Charles") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population is 30,722 per the 2020 census.
History
Native Americans
Prior to the Spanish arrival in 1769, the land of San Carlos was occupi ...
.
* LV-AEE – Bell 47B-3 on static display at the
Classic Rotors Museum in
Ramona, California.
* LV-AEF – Bell 47B-3 on static display at the Niagara Aerospace Museum in Niagara Falls, New York.
* 82 – Bell 47D1 on static display at the
Tellus Science Museum in
Cartersville, Georgia.
* N996B – Bell 47H-1 on static display at the Niagara Aerospace Museum in Niagara Falls, New York.
* N8010E – Bell 47H on static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
* Unknown ID – On static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is a Bell 47D-1 that has converted to an H-13 and painted in "M*A*S*H"configuration.
* Unknown ID – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Museum of Modern Art in
New York, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
.
* Unknown ID – Bell 47 on static display at the Lawrence D. Bell Aircraft Museum in
Mentone, Indiana
Mentone is a town in Harrison and Franklin townships, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Mentone is the self-proclaimed "Egg Basket of the Midwest" because of prolific commercial egg production in the area, and holds an Egg Festival an ...
.
Surviving aircraft
;Austria
* OE-XDM – Bell 47 G-3B-1T (a former United States Army TH-13T) airworthy with The Flying Bulls in
Salzburg.
;United States
* N2490B – Bell 47G-2 airworthy at the
EAA AirVenture Museum in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh.
History
Oshkosh was ...
.
* N7576 – Bell 47G-2A airworthy at the
Classic Rotors Museum in
Ramona, California.
* N6356X – Continental Copters Bell 47G airworthy at the Mid America Flight Museum in
Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Specifications (Bell 47G-3B)
Notable appearances in media
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Mutza, Wayne. ''H-13 Sioux Mini in Action''. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1995.
*McGowen, Stanley S. ''Helicopters: An Illustrated History of Their Impact''. Weapons and warfare series. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2005.
*
*
* pp. 21–26.
*
*
*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.
External links
Model 47GMuseum site
Model 47G specsfrom ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft'' by Gerard Frawley
the current type certificate holder
{{Authority control
1940s United States helicopters
1940s United States civil utility aircraft
Bell aircraft, 47
Single-engined piston helicopters
Aircraft first flown in 1945