Bell 47/Bell H-13 Sioux

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_47

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_H-13_Sioux

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. The 47 became the first
helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946. More than 5,600 Bell 47s
were produced, including those under license by Agusta 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 fuselage.

Early models varied in appearance, with open cockpits 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 engines of 200 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, 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.


Role
Multipurpose light helicopter

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Bell Aircraft
Bell Helicopter

Designer
Arthur M. Young

First flight
8 December 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

The Bell 47 entered U.S. military service in late 1946, in a variety of versions
and designations for three decades. It was designated H-13 Sioux by the U.S.
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 in Los
Angeles, California. It was outfitted with a television camera and it made the
world's 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 helicopter's cockpit 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 (NASA) had a number of Bell
47s during the Apollo program, used by astronauts as trainers for the lunar
lander. Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan had a nearly disastrous crash into the
Indian River in Florida in 1972, shortly before his flight to the moon. The 47
has also served as the helicopter of choice for basic helicopter flight
instruction in many countries.

Specifications (Bell 47G-3B)

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-F1A six-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)




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