Bell 201 - Misplaced Pages

Bell 201/XH-13F
Bell 201/XH-13F in a hover
General information
Type	Experimental helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Bell Aircraft
Primary users	United States Army United States Air Force
Number built	1
History
First flight	20 October 1954
Developed from	Bell 47

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.

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. It took to the sky on October 20, 1954, with test pilot Bill Quinlan at the controls. 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 turboshaft, known as the Continental CAE XT51-T-3, powered the XH-13F. This engine produced 425 shp (317 kW), 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 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.

Specifications

Data from International Directory of Civil Aircraft

General characteristics

Crew: 1 or 2
Capacity: 1 passenger
Length: 31 ft 7 in (9.63 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 2 in (11.33 m)
Height: 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental XT51-T-3 turboshaft, 425 hp (317 kW)
Main rotor diameter: 37 ft 2 in (11.33 m)
Main rotor area: 1,085 sq ft (100.8 m)

Performance

References

Donald, David, ed. "Bell 47". The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.
Day, Dwayne A. "Bell UH-1 'Huey'" Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. US Centennial of Flight.
Apostolo, Giorgio. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters, pp. 46-47. New York: Bonanza Books. 1984. ISBN 978-0-517-43935-7.
Spenser, Jay P. "Bell Helicopter". Whirlybirds, A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers. University of Washington Press, 1998. ISBN 0-295-98058-3.
"Bell Model 201 / XH-13F helicopter - development history, photos, technical data".
Frawley, page 42

External links

Model 47G specs from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft by Gerard Frawley
YR-13 / H-13 / OH-13 Sioux / HTL on GlobalSecurity.org

Bell Model 47 family

Model
numbers

Civilian
names

Military
designations

R-13
H-13
- F
- J/P/N/Q/R

HTL
- -7
HUL

Foreign
production

Agusta (Italy)	A.115 EMA 124
Kawasaki (Japan)	KH-4
Westland (United Kingdom)	Sioux

Modifications

Continental Copters	El Tomcat
Texas Helicopter	M74 Wasp M79 Wasp II M79T Jet Wasp II

Groups

Scott's – Bell 47

See also: Bell Huey family; Bell JetRanger family

v t e Bell Aircraft and Bell Helicopter/Bell Textron aircraft
Manufacturer designations	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 (I) 39 (II) 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 J 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70–100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131–199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 214ST 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223–229 230 231–248 249 250–300 301 302–308 309 310–359 360 361–399 400 401–405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418–426 427 428 429 430 431–439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 550–504 505 506–524 525 526–532 533 534–539 540 541–547 548 549–575 576 577–582 583 846–598 599 600–608 609 610–645 646 647–679 680 681–910 911 912–917 918 D-188 D-255 D-292
Fighter aircraft	YFM-1 P-39 XFL P-59 P-63 P-76 XP-77 XP-83
Target drones	PQM-56
Attack helicopters	207 Bell AH-1 Singles Twins AH-1Z 309 YAH-63 360
Observation and utility helicopters	H-13 H-13J UH-1 UH-1N UH-1Y TH-57 OH-58 TH-67 ARH-70
Commercial helicopters	47 47J 204 205 206 210 212 214 214ST 222 230 407 412 427 429 430 505 525
Tiltrotors	V-22 V-247 V-280 AW609 TR918 QTR
UAVs	MQ-8C
Non-production helicopters	400 417 440
Experimental aircraft	ATV 201 533 D-188 D-255 D-292 FCX-001 L-39 LLRV/LLTV X-1 X-2 X-5 X-14 X-16 X-22 XF-109 XP-52 XV-3 XV-15
Names	Airabonita Airacobra Airacomet Airacuda Arapaho BigLifter Cobra Creek Eagle Eye Fire Scout GlobalRanger Huey HueyCobra Invictus Iroquois JetRanger Jet Ranger X Kingcobra KingCobra Kiowa LongRanger Osprey Quad TiltRotor Ranger Sea Cobra Sea Ranger Sioux Sioux Scout SuperCobra Super Huey Super Transporter Twin Huey TwinRanger Valor Venom Vigilant Viper Zulu Cobra
Unknown/not assigned

United States helicopter designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Numerical sequence used by USAAC/USAAF/USAF 1941–present; U.S. Army 1948–1956 and 1962–present; U.S. Navy 1962–present

Army/Air Force sequence
(1941–1962)

Prefix R-, 1941–1948	R-1 R-2 R-3 R-4 R-5 R-6 R-7 R-8 R-9 R-10 R-11 R-12 R-13 R-14 R-15 R-16
Prefix H-, 1948–1962	H-5 H-6 H-9 H-10 H-11 H-12 H-13 H-13J H-15 H-16 H-17 H-18 H-19 H-20 H-21 H-22 H-23 H-24 H-25 H-26 H-27 H-28 H-29 H-30 H-31 H-32 H-33 H-34 H-35 H-36 H-37 H-38 H-39 H-40 H-41 H-42 H-43 H-44 H-45

Tri-Service sequence
(1962–present)

1962 redesignations	H-13 H-13F H-13J H-19 H-21 H-23 H-25 H-34 H-37 H-43
New designations	H-46 H-47 H-48 H-49 H-50 H-51 H-52 H-53 CH-53/E/K HH-53/MH-53 H-54 H-55 H-56 H-57 H-58 H-59 H-60 UH-60 SH-60 HH-60 MH-60 H-61 H-62 H-63 H-64 H-65 H-66 H-67 H-68 H-69 H-70 H-71 H-72 H-73
Alternate sequence	H-1 AH-1/J/T/W/Z UH-1/N/Y H-2 G H-3 CH-3/HH-3 SH-3 H-4 H-5 H-6 AH-6 MH-6 OH-6
Non-sequential	H-90 H-92 CH-92/VH-92 H-139

Not assigned

Categories:

History

Specifications

See also

References

External links