| Bell Model 30 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Experimental Helicopter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Bell Aircraft |
| Designer | Arthur M. Young |
| First flight | July 1943[1] |
| Number built | 3 |
| Variants | Bell 47 |
The Bell Model 30 was the first commercial helicopter, designed by Arthur M. Young and the first helicopter built by Bell Aircraft Company.[2] The type served as a prototype for the successful Model 47.[2]
Young had experimented with helicopter designs, mainly using scale models and in 1941 he approached the Bell Aircraft Company in Buffalo, New York. The company agreed to build a number of full-scale prototypes and Young moved to Buffalo. With the Buffalo factory involved in war work Young and his team moved to Gardenville, New York and the first flight was carried out in July 1943. It was only the third American helicopter to fly.[3]
The prototype registration NX41860 had an open cockpit but had an enclosed fuselage for the Franklin piston engine and a fixed three-wheel landing gear.[2] The engine drove a two-bladed main rotor and a two-bladed anti-torque tail rotor. The prototype crashed in September 1943 and it was modified with some improvements the main one was an enclosed cabin for the pilot and passenger sitting side-by-side.[3] With all the lessons learnt incorporated into the third prototpe this became the basis for the production model which became the Bell Model 47.[2] The Bell Model 30 is now in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.
Data from [2]
General characteristics
Performance
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