Made easier as the aircraft is also very accessible, I have probably flown on a Bell 206B more than any other helicopter, and have easily lost count of how many flights. When you live with such a prominent aircraft in your life for so long, it becomes a personal favorite. versatility is the number one criteria of the Bell 206B. Of all the helicopters of the last half century, the JetRanger is probably the most visually famous, it is the one aircraft that seems to be everywhere, and mostly because it is the main go-to aircraft for any Hollywood or American television production, News gathering, light Med-Evac, Lifesaving and also it is very economical for Sightseeing and Business charter work. The Army then reordered the revised aircraft as the Bell OH-58 Kiowa, that went on to used in the Vietnam War. Bell Helicopter ended production of the Bell 206B-3 version finally in 2010, after 7,300 production aircraft were built. Ducayet named it the "JetRanger", denoting an evolution from the popular Model 47J Ranger. The redesign was designated Bell 206A, and Bell President Edwin J. A Bell executive contributed to this redesign by drawing on a sketch two lines extending the fuselage to where it meets the tail. The solution was a redesigned fuselage, sleeker and more aesthetically appealing, and adding in 16 ft3 (0.45 m3) of cargo space in the process. In addition to the image problem, the prototype helicopter lacked cargo space and provided only cramped seating for the planned three passengers. When the YOH-4A was eliminated by the Army, Bell went about solving the problem of marketing the aircraft. Following a fly-off of the Bell, Hughes and Fairchild-Hiller prototypes, the Hughes OH-6 was the selected LOH in May 1965. The YOH-4A also came to be known as "The Ugly Duckling" in comparison to the other contending aircraft.
The first prototype flew on December 8, 1962.
Proceeded to produce five prototype aircraft for the Army's test and evaluation phase Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) proposal. The 206 is also known by it's more common name of the "JetRanger".īell had developed the D-250 design into the Bell 206 aircraft, redesignated as YOH-4A in 1962. The Cowan Simulations 206 B3 is the Bell 206, a two-bladed, single and twin-engined (TwinRanger) helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, Canadian plant.