May 2023: Bell Aircraft Corporation Bell 47B
Bell 47 receives CAA Helicopter Type Certificate No. 1: March 8, 1946
First Bell 47B delivery: December 31, 1946
Bell 47B’s type certificate released: November 4, 1947
The Bell 47B looks very different from the other Bell 47 models produced later. The Bell 47B featured a car-like windscreen discarded on later variants and replaced by the famous fish-bowl cockpit bubble. At that time, many people were convinced that the helicopter would eventually replace the car. Larry Bell asked a Detroit car manufacturer to assist his engineers in the styling of the helicopter. The helicopter was equipped with ashtrays, glove box, soundproofing, two upholstered seats arranged side by side and fitted with safety belts, carpets and a generous luggage compartment.
The Bell 47B is a helicopter of standard configuration with a two-blade main rotor and an anti-torque tail rotor. The main rotor is equipped with the famous stabilizing bar. The main rotor blades are made of laminated wood with a steel insert in the leading edge. The fuselage is built in three sections: cabin, center frame with the engine and its accessories and tail boom. The center section accommodates the six-cylinder opposed air-cooled Franklin 6V4-178-B3 engine, with a cylinder displacement of 335 cubic inches (5.5 liters) and a maximum take-off power at sea level of 178 hp (130 kW) at 3,000 rpm.
The first Bell 47B (registered NC7H) was delivered on Dec. 31, 1946, to Helicopter Air Transport (HAT), based at the Central Airport in Camden, New Jersey, the first commercial operators of helicopters in the world, where it was used to deliver mail. The last (serial number 50) assembled (NC130B) was delivered on June 16, 1947, to Gannett Newspaper in Rochester, New York. From the experience accumulated on the 47B (and the agricultural version 47B3), Bell developed a new helicopter known as Bell 47D. Altogether, 43 Bell 47B were produced. The last airworthy Bell 47B was N116B, restored in 1989 by a private owner and is today displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
For further detailed information, see: https://www.heli-archive.ch/en/helicopters/in-depth-articles/bell-47b
Description: Paul Fardink, Lt. Col., US Army (Retired)
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