Bell Aircraft Corporation Model 47H Bellairus

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Bell Aircraft Corporation Model 47H Bellairus

• Bell Aircraft Corporation, founded by
  Lawrence Bell in 1935, is famous for being the
  manufacturer of the P-59 which was America's
  first jet airplane and the X-1 for being the
  world's first super-sonic plane. With the
  development of the Bell 47 their reputation for
  helicopter manufacture soon began to rival their
  status as a builder of conventional aircraft and
  in 1951 created a separate helicopter division
  headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1960 the
  Bell Helicopter Corporation was purchased by
  Textron, of which it is still a major subsidiary.
  
• For many years pioneers like Floyd Carlson,
  Joe Mashman, Arthur Young and Dick Stansbury
  developed their early helicopters in a disused
  car dealership in Buffalo, New York. By May 1946
  they concluded flight tests in NC-1H, an early
  Model 47, which was to be the first helicopter
  permitted under US Federal Licence to carry
  passengers for "hire and reward" commercially.
  The Bell 47 went on to become the worlds first
  practical helicopter in both commercial and
  military roles. The most well-known use of Bell
  47s came during the Korean War when the
  helicopters were used by the United States Army
  Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, MASH, to evacuate
  wounded soldiers. By the time production stopped
  in 1973 over 6,000 Bell 47s had been produced and
  many are still in use across the world. Today a
  Bell 47 hangs in the entrance to the Architecture
  and Design wing of New York's Museum of Modern
  Art.
• Larry Bell himself commissioned the
  development of the Model 47H, also know as
  Bellairus, which remained his personal favourite
  of all the many variants produced. The
  three-seater Bell 47H was the deluxe version of
  the Model 47G having an enclosed sound-proofed
  cabin with car-size leather seats and leather
  trim. The baggage could be accommodated in a
  compartment in the monocoque tail boom. However,
  the initial purchase price and ongoing
  maintenance meant it was too expensive for its
  target market the affluent American family. It
  was not a commercial success and only 33 were
  ever built.
• The model presented here is a 1/9th scale
  replica of the Bell 47H. There are no
  commercially available kits of this model so many
  components have been scratch built after a
  considerable amount of research and development.
  The chassis is based upon a custom made set of
  carbon frames designed around the popular .30
  class two stoke motors and 55cm main blades. The
  canopy and dummy saddle tanks are made of
  fibreglass while the tail fairing is vac formed
  out of styrene to keep weight to a minimum.
  Interesting features to note include the
  intricate and strong undercarriage and the kicked
  up tail boom which is characteristic on all Bell
  47s. Further information about the development
  of this radio controlled model can be found at
  www.nicherotors.com.
• Model details Carbon main blades
  NHP Scale 1/9
• Rotor head  Quick UK Gear ratio 9.62515.5
• Engine  OS .32 Dry weight 3.6Kg
• Radio Futaba

The first helicopter to be approved for civilian
use NC-1H a 47B
Larry inspecting the inside of a 47H
Main Rotor 35 ft., 1 in.
First Flight 1954
Max Speed 100 mph
Engine 1 x 200 shp Franklin 6V4-200 C32
Length 41 ft., 5 in.
Height 9 ft., 3 in.
Loaded Weight 2,350 lbs.
Empty Weight 1,502 lbs.
Colour scheme of prototype
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Bell Aircraft Corporation Model 47H Bellairus