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Bell 47J Ranger
Bell 47J Ranger
Role	Utility helicopterType of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Bell Helicopter
Introduction	1956
Retired	July 1967 (UH-13J)
Status	Retired
Number built	361
Developed from	Bell 47
Developed into	Agusta A.115

The Bell 47J Ranger is an American single-engine single-rotor light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was an executive variant of the highly successful Bell 47 and was the first helicopter to carry a United States president.

Design and development

The 47J was a four-seat variant of the earlier three-seat Bell 47H. The 47H was a deluxe variant of the 47G with a fully clad fuselage and an enclosed cabin. The 47H proved to be too small, so Bell developed the 47J. The 47J was a single pilot aircraft with the pilot seat and controls centered in the front of the cabin, and positioned close to the 180° view unobstructed Lexan "bubble" windscreen. A single bench seat at the rear of the cabin spanned its entire width and allowed for a passenger capacity limited by weight to typically 3 or 4 adults.

Operational history

In March 1957 two Bell 47Js were bought by the United States Air Force as presidential transport and designated H-13J. On 13 July 1957 a H-13J was the first helicopter used by a United States president when it carried Dwight D. Eisenhower from the White House. In March 1962 the two helicopters were moved from presidential duties but were used as VIP transports for the next five years until retired in July 1967.

Two Bell 47J-2s were used during the 1966 film production of Paradise, Hawaiian Style starring Elvis Presley. Throughout the film Presley's character, Rick Richards, was flying a Bell 47J-2 over the Hawaiian Islands.

Variants

47J Ranger

Production variant powered by a 220hp Lycoming VO-435-A1B engine., 135 built.

47J-1 Ranger

Military VIP variant as the H-13J, two built.

47J-2 Ranger

Production variant with a 240hp Lycoming VO-540-B1B engine, powered controls and metal blades., 104 built.

47J-2A Ranger

Production variant with a 260hp Lycoming VO-540-B1B3 engine and a collective boost system, 75 built.

47J-3

Italian built variant by Agusta-Bell.

47J-3B1

High-altitude variant of the 47J-3

47K

Training variant for the United States Navy, see HTL-7.

HUL-1

United States Navy variant with a 260hp VO-435-B1B, 28 built became UH-13P in 1962.

HUL-1G

Two HUL-1s used by the United States Coast Guard, became UH-13Q in 1962.

HUL-1M

Variant of the HUL-1 with a 250shp YT-62-A-3 turboshaft engine, two built became UH-13R in 1962.

HUL-2

Proposed turboshaft-powered variant, not built.

HTL-7

Model 47K training version of the HUL-1 with a modified two-seat cockpit and a 240hp Lycoming O-435-6 engine, 18 built, later designated TH-13N in 1962.

UH-13J

Two Bell 47J-1 Ranger aircraft utilizing the 179 kW Lycoming VO-435-21 engine acquired for VIP transport of the U.S. President by the U.S. Air Force. Originally designated as H-13J until 1962.

UH-13P

United States Navy variant for use aboard ice-breaking ships, Originally designated as the Navy HUL-1.

TH-13N

The HTL-7 re-designated in 1962.

HH-13Q

The HUL-1G re-designated in 1962.

UH-13R

The HUL-1M re-designated in 1962.

Operators

 Argentina

• Argentine Air Force
• Argentine Coast Guard

 Chile

• Chilean Navy

 Colombia

• Colombian Air Force

 Cuba

• Cuban Air Force

 Greece

• Hellenic Air Force

 Iceland

• Icelandic Coast Guard

 Indonesia

• Indonesian Air Force

 Italy

• Italian Air Force
• Italian Army
• Carabinieri
• Italian Navy

 Mexico

• Mexican Navy

 Spain

• Spanish Air Force

 United States

• United States Air Force
• United States Coast Guard
• United States Navy

 Venezuela

• Venezuelan Air Force

Aircraft on display

Brazil

• FAB 8510 – Bell 47J on static display at the Museu Aeroespacial in Rio de Janeiro.

Canada

• 1827 – Bell 47J-2 on static display at the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum in Goffs, Nova Scotia.

Slovenia

• Agusta Bell-47J-2A (reg. YU-HAK) on static display at Slovenian Alpine Museum in Mojstrana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was a helicopter of police aviation unit from 1967 to 1984 and was the first helicopter in Slovenia used for mountain rescue operations.

United States

• 57-2728 – UH-13J on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
• 57-2729 – UH-13J on static display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. It was the first helicopter to carry a U.S. president.

Specifications (Bell 47J-2A)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 3 passengers
• Length: 32 ft 5 in (9.87 m)
• Height: 9 ft 3 in (2.83 m)
• Empty weight: 1,833 lb (831 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 2,950 lb (1,338 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 48 US gal (40 imp gal; 180 L)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming VO-540-B1B vertically mounted air-cooled flat-six, 260 hp (190 kW)
• Main rotor diameter: 37 ft 2 in (11.33 m)
• Main rotor area: 1,085 sq ft (100.8 m)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 91 mph (146 km/h, 79 kn)
• Range: 258 mi (415 km, 224 nmi) (no reserves)
• Service ceiling: 11,000 ft (3,400 m)
• Rate of climb: 870 ft/min (4.4 m/s)

See also

Related development

• Agusta A.115
• Bell 47
• Bell 201/XH-13F
• Bell 206 JetRanger
• Bell 207 Sioux Scout
• Bell YOH-4

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Aérospatiale Alouette II
• Hiller OH-23 Raven
• TH-55 Osage/Hughes 269
• Hughes/Schweizer 300
• PZL SM-4 Łątka

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the United States
• List of rotorcraft

References

1. ^ National Museum of the United States Air Force Bell UH-13J Sioux fact sheet
2. ^ Frawley 2003, p. 42
3. Andrade 1979, p. 188
4. ^ Andrade 1979, p. 197
5. ^ Flight International 11 July 1968, p. 48
6. ^ Flight International 11 July 1968, p. 50
7. ^ Flight International 11 July 1968, p. 52
8. "Italian Gendarmerie AB-47J". Retrieved 20 March 2013.
9. Flight International 11 July 1968, p. 53
10. Wheeler Flight International 1 August 1981, p. 375
11. "Spanish Air Force Bell 47J-3B-1 Ranger". Demand media. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
12. ^ "The BELL 47 Helicopter Family". bell47.net. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
13. Flight International 11 July 1968, p. 60
14. "BELL 47J (H-13J) - RANGER | BELL HELICOPTER CORPORATION". Museu Aeroespacial. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
15. "Airframe Dossier - Bell47 / H-13 Sioux, s/n 8510 FABr, c/n 1746, c/r YV-E-DPY". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
16. "Aircraft Display Collection". Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
17. "Airframe Dossier - Bell 47 / H-13 Sioux, c/n 1827, c/r CF-PQZ". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
18. d.o.o., NoviSplet - Atribut. "Slavnostni prevzem helikopterja Augusta Bell 47 – legendarnega burduša, v soboto, 27. maja 2017, od 16. ure dalje | Planinski muzej". www.planinskimuzej.si. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
19. "Bell UH-13J Sioux". National Museum of the US Air Force. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
20. "Bell H-13J". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
21. Taylor 1965, p. 187

Bibliography

• Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
• Donald, David (1997). The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. NY, NY: Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.
• Elliott, Bryn (January–February 1999). "On the Beat: The First 60 Years of Britain's Air Police". Air Enthusiast (79): 68–75. ISSN 0143-5450.
• Frawley, Gerard (2003). The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003–2004. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-875671-58-7.
• Taylor, John W. R. (1965). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
• Wheeler, Barry C. (1 August 1981). "World's Air Forces 1981". Flight International. Vol. 120, no. 3769. pp. 323–384. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
• "World Helicopter Market". Flight International. Vol. 94, no. 3096. 11 July 1968. pp. 48–60. Retrieved 7 December 2019.

External links

Media related to Bell 47J at Wikimedia Commons

• Single-engined piston helicopters
• 1950s United States civil utility aircraft
• Bell aircraft
• 1950s United States helicopters
• Aircraft first flown in 1956
• Single-rotor helicopters
• Aircraft with skid landing gear