User:BillCJ/Sandbox/Bell 201
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bell 201/XH-14F | |
|---|---|
 Bell 201/XH-13F in a hover |
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| Type | Multipurpose light helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Bell Helicopter |
| Maiden flight | October 20, 1954 |
| Primary users | United States Army United States Air Force |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Bell 47 |
The Bell 201, Bell Helicopter's first turbine helicopter, was a modified Model 47G (designated the XH-13F by the US military). It was built at the beginning of 1955 to test some components for the new XH-40, Bell's prototype for its UH-1 Iroquois.
Contents |
[edit] Development
[edit] Text 1
One Bell Model 47G was fitted experimentally with a Turbomeca Artouste turbine built under license by Continental as the Model 200-T51T-3; it delivered 425shp. As the XH-13F, it was built at the beginning of 1955 to test some components for the Bell 204.
Bell's first turbine helicopter, the XH-13F, took to the sky on October 20, 1954, with test pilot Bill Quinlan at the controls. Project engineer for this joint Army/USAF research program was J. R. "Bob" Duppstadt.
A French 425-shp Turbomeca Artouste I turboshaft engine powered the XH-13F. It weighed so little that it had to be mounted behind the helicopter's fuel tanks and rotor mast for weight-and-balance reasons. The light weight of turbines made them ideal for helicopters, whose performance had long been constrained by the low power-to-weight ratios of piston engines. Turbine power also promised greater reliability and lower maintenance costs. Their drawbacks were higher fuel consumption and a significantly higher purchase price. The latter would limit civil market sales far more than those to the military. Putting a premium on performance and having public funds at their disposal, the world's armed services wholeheartedly embraced turbine power.
Pleased with the prototype during its Phase I (factory) testing, Quinlan called the XH-13F the "smoothest Model 47 ever built". At the start of April 1955, the prototype was handed over to USAF Major Jones P. Seigler and First Lieutenant Donald A. Wooley. The two officers, attached to Edwards Air Force Base in California, conducted the Phase II test program at Fort Worth to ensure good coordination with Bell.
J.P.Spencer "Whirlybirds: A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers", 1998
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[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (Bell 47G)
[edit] Bell 201
[edit] General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Powerplant: One Turbomeca Artouste turboshaft engine (built under license by Continental as the Model 200-T51T-3/XT51-T-3) (425 shp/ kW)
[edit] Bell 47G (for comparison)
{{aero-specs}}
Data from International Directory of Civil Aircraft[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: Three
- Length: 31.6 ft (9.63 m)
- Rotor diameter: 37.2 ft (11.32 m)
- Height: 9.28 ft (2.83)
- Disc area: 1,085 ft² (m100.8 m²)
- Empty weight: 1,893 lb (858 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,950 lb (1,340 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Lycoming TVO-435-F1A Flat-6 piston engine, 280 hp (210 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 91 kt (105 mph, 169 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 73 kt (84 mph, 135 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,525 m)
- Range: 214 nm (245 miles, 395 km) at 6,000 ft (1,830 m)
- Rate of climb: 860 ft/min (262 m/min)
- Hover ceiling: 17,700 ft IGE; 12,700 ft OGE (5,400 m IGE; 3900 m OGE)
[edit] References
- ^ Bell 201/XH-13F.
- ^ Frawley, Gerard: The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004, page 42. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7
[edit] External links
- Bell 201/XH-13F.
- Model 47G specs from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft by Gerard Frawley
[edit] Related content
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Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
Category:Helicopters Bell 47 Category:U.S. military utility aircraft 1940-1949 Category:U.S. civil utility aircraft 1940-1949 Category:United States Coast Guard Aviation
