Bell 204/205 | |
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AKern County Fire Department Bell 205 departs from Mojave Air and Space Port | |
Role | Multipurpose utility helicopter
Type of aircraft
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National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Bell Helicopter |
First flight | 22 October 1956 |
Introduction | 1959 |
Produced | 1956–1980s |
Developed from | Bell UH-1 Iroquois |
Variants | Bell 212 Bell 214 |
The Bell 204 and 205 are the civilian versions of the UH-1 Iroquois single-engine military helicopter of the Huey family of helicopters. They are type-certificated in the transport category and are used in a wide variety of applications, including crop dusting, cargo lifting, Forestry Operations, and aerial firefighting.
Bell designed its Model 204 in response to a 1955 United States Army requirement for a utility helicopter. The 204 was a giant step forward in helicopter design, being one of the first to be powered by a turboshaft. The turboshaft engine radically improved the practicality of the helicopter due to its light weight and high power-to-weight ratio, lower fuel consumption, and lower maintenance and operating costs. The use of a turboshaft in the 204 allowed it to carry a useful payload over respectable ranges and at reasonable speeds, which resulted in the 204 and subsequent 205 becoming the most successful western helicopter series in terms of numbers built.[1]
The civil 204B was first delivered in 1961. The subsequent Model 205A-1 is equivalent to the UH-1H, which, compared to the 204, is longer, larger, and has better performance and a more powerful engine.[1]
Over 60 civil Model 204B helicopters had been delivered by 1967, while further examples were built by Agusta-Bell until 1973. 12,000 Model 205s (including civil 205A-1s) were built by Bell and Agusta-Bell up to the early 1980s. Numerous ex-military 204s and 205s were converted for commercial use.[1]
Bell Helicopter's company designation of the UH-1B.
Bell Helicopter's company designation of the UH-1H.
Data from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Related lists
The initial version of this article was based on a public domain article from Greg Goebel's Vectorsite.
Bell Aircraft and Bell Helicopter/Bell Textron aircraft
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Manufacturer designations |
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Fighter aircraft |
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Target drones |
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Attack helicopters |
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Observation and utility helicopters |
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Commercial helicopters |
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Tiltrotors |
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UAVs |
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Non-production helicopters |
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Experimental aircraft |
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Names |
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1 Unknown/not assigned |
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Military |
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Civilian |
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Foreign production |
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Topics |
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See also: Bell 47 family • Bell JetRanger family |
Swedish military aircraft designations 1926–current
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Attack aircraft (A) |
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Bombers (B) |
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Army aeroplanes (Fpl) |
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Gliders (G/Lg/Se) |
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Helicopter (Hkp) |
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Fighters (J) |
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Advanced trainers (Ö) |
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Trials aircraft (P) |
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Reconnaissance (S) |
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Trainers (Sk) |
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Torpedo bombers (T) |
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Transports (Trp/Tp) |
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Spanish Armed Forces helicopter designations
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Helicóptero (Z) Helicopter |
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Helicóptero (H) Helicopter |
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1 Not assigned |