The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Twin Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, medium

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

in 1988, along with all Bell commercial helicopter production after that plant opened in 1986. The 212 was marketed to civilian operators and has up to a 15-seat capacity, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. In cargo-carrying configuration the 212 has an internal capacity of 220 ft³ (6.23 m³). An external load of up to 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) can be carried.

Development

Based on the stretched fuselage Bell 205, the Bell 212 was originally developed for the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

as the ''CUH-1N'' and later redesignated as the '' CH-135''. The Canadian Forces took delivery of 50 starting in May 1971. At the same time the United States military services ordered 294 Bell 212s under the designation UH-1N. BMI Bell 212 D-HBZT

By 1971, the Bell 212 had been developed for commercial applications. Among the earliest uses of the type in civil aviation was by Helicopter Service AS of Norway to be used in support of

offshore drilling Offshore drilling is a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled below the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently extract petroleum that lies in rock formations beneath the seabed. Most commonly, the t ...

; it proved popular across the offshore sector in particular as it had been certified for operating under marginal weather conditions. Today, the 212 can be found used in logging operations, maritime rescue and resupply in the Arctic on the

Distant Early Warning Line The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the north coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see Proj ...

North Warning System The North Warning System (NWS) is a joint United States and Canadian early-warning radar system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It provides surveillance of airspace from potential incursions or attacks from across North Americ ...

. The 212 is powered by a

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T Twin-Pac is a turboshaft engine designed for helicopters. Manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada, its first application was in the Bell 212 and UH-1N Twin Huey helicopter family. The PT6T Twin-Pac consists of two ...

-3 Twin-Pac made up of two coupled

PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously upda ...

power turbines driving a common gearbox. They are capable of producing up to 1,800 shp (1,342 kW). Should one power section fail the remaining section can deliver 900 shp (671 kW) for 30 minutes, or 765 shp (571 kW) continuously, enabling the 212 to maintain cruise performance at maximum weight. Early 212s configured with an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) package were required to have a large and very obvious fin attached to the roof of the aircraft, above and slightly behind the cockpit. This fin was initially determined necessary to alter the turning performance of the aircraft during complex instrument flight maneuvers, but is no longer required due to revised stipulations of the type certificate. Many aircraft still fly with the modification. In 1979, with the purchase of eight by the Civil Air Authority, the 212 became the first U.S. helicopter sold in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. The

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

designator for this aircraft as used in a

flight plan Flight plans are documents filed by a pilot or flight dispatcher with the local Air Navigation Service Provider (e.g. the FAA in the United States) prior to departure which indicate the plane's planned route or flight path. Flight plan forma ...

is "B212". Bell developed the Model 212 further with the

Bell 412 The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. Design and development Development began in the ...

; the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. The last Bell 212 was delivered in 1998."Bell 212"
(subscription article). ''Jane's Helicopter Markets and Systems''. Jane's Information Group, 2 April 2013.

Variants

*Bell Model 212 - Bell Helicopters company designation for the UH-1N. *Twin Two-Twelve - Civil utility transport version. It can carry up to 14 passengers. *Agusta-Bell AB 212 - Civil or military utility transport version. Built under license in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Agusta Agusta was an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It was based in Samarate, Northern Italy. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907. The MV Agusta motorcycle manufacturer began as an offshoo ...

. *Agusta-Bell AB.212ASW - Anti-Submarine Warfare variant of AB.212 * Bell Model 412 - Bell 212 with a four-bladed semi-rigid rotor system. *Eagle 212 Single - Single engine variant with a Lycoming T53-17 or T53-BCV engine produced by Eagle Copters of Calgary, Alberta,

Operators

Civil and government operators

The Bell 212 is used by many private and commercial operators, it is particularly popular in the oil industries and for law enforcement use. ; *

Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the Army, land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the comman ...

; * Canadian Coast Guard - former operator of six 212s ; * Croatian Police ; * Policía Nacional de Colombia ; * Greek Navy ; * Air Greenland ; * Japan Coast Guard ; * Serbian Police Bell 212 Z3-HHB of the North Macedonian Police

Bell 212 Z3-HHB of the North Macedonian Police

; * Slovenian National Police ; * Royal Thai Police ; * San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department * San Diego Fire Department *

Ventura County Sheriff's Department The Ventura County Sheriff's Office (VCSO), also sometimes known as the Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD), provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California as well as several cities within the county ...

Specifications (Bell 212)

References

External links

The Bell 212 on Greg Goebel's Air Vectors
{{Huey family 1960s United States helicopters 1960s United States civil utility aircraft Search and rescue helicopters 1960s Canadian helicopters Twin-turbine helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1968 212