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Bell Model 47B

NASM No. 008645; Cat. No. 2005-0066

In 1946, the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Authority awarded the first civil helicopter certification to the Model 47. It was the first Bell helicopter type to enter production. Although initial sales failed to meet Lawrence Bell’s expectation of a post-World War II civil aviation boom, later versions saw significant service in the Korean War and other conflicts and it became a highly successful commercial model with some logging over five decades of service.

The two-seat Model 47B was the first commercial evolution of Bell’s pioneering Model 30, also designed by talented engineers Arthur Young and Bartram Kelly. This example, the 36th built, served over a period of 40 years as a factory demonstrator for Bell, newsgathering helicopter, crop duster, trainer and performed power line patrols and aerial photography missions. In 1989, Douglas Daigle purchased the helicopter, had it restored and set the world’s hovering record of fifty hours, fifty seconds. Its last flight occurred in December 2004 – over 57 years after its first flight, making it the longest flying helicopter in history.

Rotor Diameter: 10.7 m (35 ft 2 in)

Length: 7.4 m (24 ft 4 in)

Height:2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)

Weight:Empty, 720 kg (1,588 lb)

Gross, 998 kg (2,200 lb)

Top Speed:151 km/h (94 mph)

Engine:Franklin 6V4-200-C32, 200 hp

Manufacturer: Bell Aircraft Corporation, Wheatfield, N.Y., 1947

Gift of Douglas D. Daigle & Tridair Helicopters, Inc. in memory of Arthur Middleton Young

Display Status

This object is on display in Thomas W. Haas We All Fly at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Thomas W. Haas We All Fly
Object Details
Date 1947 Type CRAFT-Rotary Wing Manufacturer Bell Aircraft Corp.
Dimensions Rotor Diameter: 10.7 m (35 ft 2 in)
Length: 7.4 m (24 ft 4 in)
Height: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Weight: Empty, 720 kg (1,588 lb)
Gross, 998 kg (2,200 lb)
Inventory Number A20050066000 Credit Line Gift Of Douglas D. Daigle & Tridair Heicopters, Inc., in memory of Arthur Middleton Young Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.
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