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H-13 /
HTL Sioux / Ranger
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UH-13D Photo: Robert Deering 7/16/2014 American Helicopter Museum Brandywine Airport (OQN) West Chester, Pennsylvania |
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The
Bell H-13 Sioux was a two-bladed,
single engine, light helicopter built by
Bell Helicopter. Westland Aircraft
manufactured the Sioux under license for the
British military as the
Sioux AH.1
and HT.
In 1947, the United States Army Air Forces (later the United States Air Force) ordered the improved Bell Model 47A. Most were designated YR-13 and three winterized versions were designated YR-13A. The United States Army first ordered Bell 47s in 1948 under the designation H-13. These would later receive the name Sioux. Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first U.S. president to fly in a helicopter on July 12, 1957 using the H-13J. The Air Force purchased two modified H-13J's for evacuating the President to a remote command post in the event of a military confrontation with the Soviet Union. The H-13J also shuttled President Eisenhower to Washington's National Airport and his personal retreat in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Larger, more comfortable models soon replaced it in presidential transport duties. The H-13 was used as observation helicopter early in the Vietnam War, before being replaced by the OH-6 Cayuse. The Bell 47 was ordered by the British Army as the Sioux to meet specification H.240, with licensed production by Westland Helicopters. In order to comply with the terms of its licence agreement with Sikorsky Aircraft, which prevented it building a U.S. competitors aircraft, Westland licensed the Model 47 from Agusta, who had purchased a license from Bell. The first contract was for 200 helicopters. The first 50 helicopters of the contract were built by Agusta at Gallarate in Italy followed by 150 built by Westland at Yeovil. The first Westland Sioux made its maiden flight on 9 March 1965. |
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Navy and Coast Guard Variants
Originally designed as a commercial
helicopter, the HTL Sioux was acquired by
the U.S. Navy for training purposes in the
late 1940s, and were in use until retirement
in April 1964.
HTLs were used in the Apollo program
to familiarize astronauts with its
auto-rotation sink rate which was similar to
the Lunar Excursion Module
Initially, the United States Navy
procured several Bell 47s, designated
HTL-1,
between 1947 and 1958. The United States
Coast Guard evaluated this model, and
procured two HTL-1s for multi-mission
support in the New York Harbor. The most
common U.S. Navy version of the 47 was
designated the
HTL-4,
and dispenses with the fabric covering on
the tail boom. The U.S. Coast Guard procured
three
HTL-5s
in 1952 (similar to the HTL-4 but powered by
a Franklin O-335-5 engine) and used these
until 1960. The Coast Guard procured
two of Bell's Model 47G and designated them
HUL-1G
in 1959.
SOURCE: National Museum of
Naval Aviation & Wikipedia |
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