Bell 47G
The Bell 47 was the first helicopter in the world certified for civilian use, and its distinctive bubble-shaped Plexiglas cockpit, offering pilots an almost fully unobstructed view, became instantly recognisable from decades of use in film and television, including the opening titles of the TV series M*A*S*H. Its simple, exposed steel-tube tail boom and piston engine kept it easy to maintain and inexpensive to operate compared with later turbine helicopters. It served extensively in Korea as a medical evacuation helicopter, an early demonstration of the type's life-saving battlefield value. Thousands were built over a remarkably long production run, and a devoted community keeps many flying today.
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Did you know?
The Bell 47's design was so trusted that Agusta, Kawasaki and Westland all built it under licence, extending it across Italian, Japanese and British industry.
Specifications
| Length | 9.9 m (32 ft) |
|---|---|
| Height | 2.8 m (9 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 11.3 m (37 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 2 |
| Persons on board | 3 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 1.1 t |
| Range | 210 NM (389 km) |
| Service ceiling | 18,500 ft (5,639 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 18,000 ft (5,486 m) |
| Rate of climb | 880 ft/min (4.5 m/s) |
| Fuel capacity | 180 l |
| Engines | 1x Franklin/Lycoming O-335 (piston) |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Bell 47G starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Bell, the 47G family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
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