Bell beauty shots

[rotorwash]

I know there are Huey threads and Cobra threads but I thought I would start one for official Bell photos. That way the Bell civil types can get some love as well. If anyone else has official Bell photos, please feel free to add them as well. Wayne has been kind enough to share his incredible collection of images with me so I thought I'd share them with you. I will post em a few at a time, but I have quite a large selection. Let me know what do you guys think about this thread idea.

Ray

Bell 214

4 bladed AH-1W:

anyone know about this one? Looks to be the 412 prototype maybe?

Edited December 17, 2011 by rotorwash

[11bee]

I know there are Huey threads and Cobra threads but I thought I would start one for official Bell photos. That way the Bell civil types can get some love as well. If anyone else has official Bell photos, please feel free to add them as well. Wayne has been kind enough to share his incredible collection of images with me so I thought I'd share them with you. I will post em a few at a time, but I have quite a large selection. Let me know what do you guys think about this thread idea.

Ray

Great idea. I'd love to see more pictures of those Iranian 214's. Kinda like a regular Huey slick on steroids. Saw them a lot when I was a kid, always thought they were pretty cool.

[rotorwash]

Great idea. I'd love to see more pictures of those Iranian 214's. Kinda like a regular Huey slick on steroids. Saw them a lot when I was a kid, always thought they were pretty cool.

Just for you, John.

Ray

214ST (is it me or is this bird missing the horizontal stabs) :

214 and 214ST for comparison:

[rotorwash]

Here's a few shots for the civilian helo guys.

Ray

Bell 222

Bell 412

Bell 407 (actually a 406, thanks Matt)

Bell 206:

Edited November 29, 2010 by rotorwash

[Winnie]

The Bell 407 is a prototype, you can tell by the end plates on the horizontal stabs, and the plate on top of the vertical fin.

The Bell 206 is an L or LR early model long ranger.

On the 214ST there are definitively some missing horizontal stabs, weird actually, but can't remember if they had them or not, think they did tho...

Cheers

H.

[AirMedical]

Awsome! I've been looking for a picture of that very 222 paint scheme. There was another photo of one that was done in the Bell calander back in the 80's that I'm looking for. Thanks for the pics!

John

The civilian guy

[EDWMatt]

Oooh, Ray, nice stuff! It was generous of Wayne to share them.

Good shots of the 214A. We had an Army test crew killed out of Arlington during the 214 testing. Went out without a chase and the aircraft simply failed to return. Not sure a final cause was ever determined, but mast bumping was suspected.

Once heard an interesting story on the 4-blade T+ Cobra from my Bell buddies (don't know how true it is). When they built the aircraft up at Arlington, the control actuators wouldn't mate up to the fixed swash plate. In fact, everything seemed 180 out-of phase. Supposedly, when the print was made for the machinist to fab the part, the vellum was flipped! This was in the pre-CAD days, when drawings were still done on vellum. Now, you'd think the machinist would notice the dimensions and notes were backwards, but my friends insist this is a true story.

The yellow 412 in the first group is indeed the first 412 (N412AX) and was converted from a 212, then later re-converted back. I understand it is still flying in Brazil. The later 412 (N412BH) with the big "412" on the side was Bell's pet flight test 412 for a long time at Arlington. When I was there in '84, they were flying the crap out of it (6-7 hours a day, every day) trying to solve the 412's vibration problems.

224XX is the first pattern 214ST. The low altitude shot looks like low-speed flight testing at Alamosa, CO, which was Bell's mid-altitude test location (Leadville, CO was the high-altitude). I can't explain the lack of elevators in the two shots, other than, as the ST had a SAS, perhaps Bell was conducting a series of tests to determine if the elevators could be eliminated. Notice it has elevators with end-plates in the final shot.

The "407" is actually a 406, and was converted from a 206L-1 with a lot of the prototype components for the OH-58D. That picture probably dates from 1980-81 or so, so it pre-dates the 407 by quite some time. That helo kicked around Arlington for quite a while. When I saw it in '84, it was in a prototype configuration for a proposed new model, with a big bulged belly and the Bell Ring-fin on it, and was painted OD green and orange. Think it had a C-30 motor in in then, too. Wish I'd gotten a few shots of it.

Keep 'em coming.

[GeejeeZ]

Great idea Ray!!

I have the book Bell Helicopter Textron Story (http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Helicopter-Textron-Story-Changing/dp/0942548604) but had hoped for more prototype photos in it. Your thread is just perfect. I always thought I knew a lot about Bell but stand humbled!

Especially love the civil shots. Interesting to see the first 412's had the 212 type of pop out floats, whereas later they started using the lengtghened (and higher) skid gear with floats attached.

214ST is nice as well!

Thank you so much!!

Gertjan

errr... the other civilian guy

btw: thank you other guys as well for the extra info!! Nice reading EDWMatt!

Edited November 29, 2010 by GeejeeZ

[rotorwash]

Thanks for all the additional info. Matt, I never knew you were a civil guru as well! Much appreciated. This isn't the bird you were talking about I don't think, but isn't this the Bell ringfin?

Ray

[SteveV22FE]

This one here looks like an early development of the Bell Model 400/440 prototype. Google it. You'll see what I am talking about. This was the early days of ringfin development. This final 400/440 was a significantly different helo, but you can see it's lineage back to the 206 design.

Thanks for all the additional info. Matt, I never knew you were a civil guru as well! Much appreciated. This isn't the bird you were talking about I don't think, but isn't this the Bell ringfin?

Ray

Edited November 30, 2010 by SteveV22FE

[rotorwash]

This one here looks like an early development of the Bell Model 400/440 prototype. Google it. You'll see what I am talking about. This was the early days of ringfin development. This final 400/440 was a significantly different helo, but you can see it's lineage back to the 206 design.

Holy crap, the 440 is UGLY! I like the one I posted better. Thanks for the info, Steve. Please feel free to post pics if you have any you can share.

Ray

[SteveV22FE]

The 400/440s are still around. They built, I want to say, 5 of them. Since the project was abandoned in the very late 1980's they just stayed in Mirabel, Canada and are still hanging out there to this day. From what I understand they are actually in pretty good shape, albeit, they will never fly again, they are used as maintenance trainers and aids.

Holy crap, the 440 is UGLY! I like the one I posted better. Thanks for the info, Steve. Please feel free to post pics if you have any you can share.

Ray

Edited November 30, 2010 by SteveV22FE

[EDWMatt]

The 400/440s are still around. They built, I want to say, 5 of them. Since the project was abandoned in the very late 1980's they just stayed in Mirabel, Canada and are still hanging out there to this day. From what I understand they are actually in pretty good shape, albeit, they will never fly again, they are used as maintenance trainers and aids.

Bingo, Steve! That's exactly what I saw at Arlington in '84-the aerodynamic prototype for the 400! All I could remember was that it was a proposed aircraft that never made it to production. Looked just like the pic of the 400 on Wikipedia, except with a single engine. Was modded from the 406 airframe that Ray posted (406BH?) I think I remember it had a C-30 engine at that point, but may have still had the C-28. And really ugly paint (OD green and orange).

[rotorwash]

Anybody else feel like a little shot of Whiskey!

[Tank]

Hell yes, that's what I am talking about..... Get some!

[EDWMatt]

Matt, I never knew you were a civil guru as well! Much appreciated.

That's what happens when you spend nearly 20 years in the flight test biz Seriously, Wayne's stuff happens to be from the era when I spent a lot of time at Bell Plant 6 I spent a significant part of my life in '84-'85 and some of '86 working OH-58 LTE at Arlington, so I recognize a lot of that stuff. Most of the Mirabel stuff, I wouldn't have a clue.

I've posted these before, in the old "Army Flight Test" thread, but they fit really well in here. These were taken at Plant 6 in 84-85 (I'm surprised I didn't have may camera taken away from me...)

Bell 422. This was the development bird for the 680 rotor (and the first to fly with the 680). Got a flight in this ship, and it was a real revelation back then. Vibration level was as low as a fixed-wing.

XV-15 Ship 1. This was Bell's dedicated test bird, and the one that got the watercolor camo scheme for the tests at Yuma. Later crashed at Arlington when a cotter pin was left out of the flight control system.

And speaking of 214ST's...

Ex-ERA Aviation 214ST, taken at Bishop, CA, during Army testing. I believe this testing was to support proposed FMS sales. Bell had a fabulous scheme on their ST demonstrator for their FMS bid to China. Aircraft was all black with a large white winged horse on the side. Wish I had a pic...

[EDWMatt]

Anybody else feel like a little shot of Whiskey!

Oooh, the AH-1T+ in the 'Gold Cobra Scheme'. I was at Plant 6 when they were building this aircraft and watched it come together. My friend Bill Spruce was in charge of this aircraft. Had a big countdown board in front of it in the hangar that said "The Marines are arriving in XX days".

The helo only flew a couple of flights in this scheme. When the Marine test team arrived from Pax, they refused to fly it until it was re-painted Marine green. My friend Kim Smith was the Navy FTE on this aircraft. She an the Marine pilot got lost around Arlington on an early test flight (the didn't have a chase) and had to put down in a farm field before they ran out of fuel!

[rotorwash]

Matt,

Thanks for the contributions! The flight test thread isn't dead. I have tons of stuff. I just thought a change of pace might be nice for a while. Plus we can post stuff from every corner of the Bell world here. Not just Army.

Ray

[EDWMatt]

Matt,

Thanks for the contributions! The flight test thread isn't dead. I have tons of stuff. I just thought a change of pace might be nice for a while. Plus we can post stuff from every corner of the Bell world here. Not just Army.

Ray

An excellent idea! Thanks for starting this thread.

I've got some vacation time coming up over the holidays, so maybe I'll scan some more material and revive the Flight Test thread.

[rotorwash]

Matt,

You know anything about this demonstrator? It says Bell FVJ1 Demonstrator 1988 on the back. It looks to be a early Huey II to me. You can read "Live Demonstrator" on the engine cowling and "Experimental" under the co-pilot's door.

Ray

[thatguy96]

http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/ww251/s...rs/AH-1W017.jpg

Looks like AIM-9s and AGM-122s in the center there. Don't often see the latter.

Matt,

You know anything about this demonstrator? It says Bell FVJ1 Demonstrator 1988 on the back. It looks to be a early Huey II to me. You can read "Live Demonstrator" on the engine cowling and "Experimental" under the co-pilot's door.

Ray

http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/ww251/s...ator1988041.jpg

Not that I'm in any way, shape, or form an expert on Japanese calligraphy, but I quick google search turned up characters for "Fu" and "Ji" that look surprisingly similar to the first two in the word before "Bell" on the side. Could "FVJ1" be "Fuji"? Fuji built Bell 204 and 205 types under license in Japan. Could this be a variant thereof?

Edited December 1, 2010 by thatguy96

[hovering]

^ Yeah.. looks like Fuji Heavy industries...

富士重工

[rotorwash]

Not that I'm in any way, shape, or form an expert on Japanese calligraphy, but I quick google search turned up characters for "Fu" and "Ji" that look surprisingly similar to the first two in the word before "Bell" on the side. Could "FVJ1" be "Fuji"? Fuji built Bell 204 and 205 types under license in Japan. Could this be a variant thereof?

Joe,

I bet you are right! The note on the back was hand written so I probably just interpreted the characters wrong. Good eye!

Ray

Thanks for the confirmation Hovering.

Edited December 1, 2010 by rotorwash

[SteveV22FE]

Ray,

That's the 205B. She's here in Amarillo now in a different paint job. (You've seen it before.) If you look real close, you'll notice she has a 212 rotor system.

Matt,

You know anything about this demonstrator? It says Bell FVJ1 Demonstrator 1988 on the back. It looks to be a early Huey II to me. You can read "Live Demonstrator" on the engine cowling and "Experimental" under the co-pilot's door.

Ray

Edited December 1, 2010 by SteveV22FE

[rotorwash]

Ray,

That's the 205B. She's here in Amarillo now in a different paint job. (You've seen it before.) If you look real close, you'll notice she has a 212 rotor system.

Steve,

Thanks. Yeah I saw the 212 rotor. Which along with the 212 nose and what looks like a right handed tail rotor made me think Huey II. You's think I would remember that the 205B was license built by Fuji though. Oh well, at least we have a Bell guys like you and Matt to pick up my slack.

Ray

to continue the thread. Here are some Venezuelan 205's.

Edited December 1, 2010 by rotorwash