The Bell 47 (military H-13 Sioux) was the first helicopter to be certified for civil use, in May 1946. It was largely designed by Arthur M. Young who assigned his helicopter patents to, and joined Bell Helicopter in 1941. Over 5,600 were produced through 1974, including 1200 under license in Italy, 239 in Japan and 239 in the UK. Early models had open cockpits or sheet metal cabins, but the most common model, the 47G , introduced in 1953, can be recognized by the full bubble canopy, exposed welded-tube tail boom, and saddle fuel tanks. Later H and J models had a regular cabin with full cowling and monocoque tail boom. Engines were Franklin or Lycomingpiston engines of 200 to 305 HPkW). Seating varied from two to four. horizontally-opposed (150 to 230
This was the helicopter popularized in the 1957–1959 television series The Whirlybirds, and later the movie and television series M*A*S*H. A design, as well as a utilitarian, success, it was added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art of New York in 1984. Many are still in use as trainers and in agriculture (as of 2005).
NASA had a number of Bell 47s during the Apollo programme which astronauts used as a primitive trainer for the Lunar Lander. Eugene Cernan had a near disastrous accident shortly before his flight to the moon on Apollo 17 by crashing one into the Indian River at high speed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_47
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Little Gransden, Cambs, UK28th August 2004
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Little Gransden, Cambs, UK28th August 2004
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Little Gransden, Cambs, UK28th August 2004