The Bell Model 201 (military designation XH-13F) was created using a modified
Model 47G and was the first Bell helicopter to use a turbine engine.
[Donald, David, ed. "Bell 47". ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. .]
History
Built at the beginning of 1955 as part of a joint Army/USAF research program, the Model 201 was used to test component for the new XH-40, the prototype for the
UH-1 Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...
. It took to the sky on October 20, 1954, with test pilot Bill Quinlan at the controls.
[Spenser, Jay P. "Bell Helicopter". ''Whirlybirds, A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers''. University of Washington Press, 1998. .] The project engineer for this joint Army/USAF research program was J. R. "Bob" Duppstadt.
A license-built development of the French 280-shp
Turbomeca Artouste I
The Turbomeca Artouste is an early French turboshaft engine, first run in 1947. Originally conceived as an auxiliary power unit (APU), it was soon adapted to aircraft propulsion, and found a niche as a powerplant for turboshaft-driven helicopter ...
turboshaft, known as the
Continental CAE XT51-T-3, powered the XH-13F. This engine produced , yet 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 ratio
Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...
s 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.
Specifications
See also
References
External links
Model 47G specsfrom ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft'' by Gerard Frawley
{{USAF helicopters
1950s United States helicopters
Bell 47
The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first heli ...
201
Year 201 ( CCI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Fabianus and Arrius (or, less frequently, year 954 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 201 for this yea ...
1950s United States experimental aircraft
Single-turbine helicopters
Aircraft first flown in 1954
Single-rotor helicopters
Aircraft with skid landing gear